Van ECK Associates Corp Acquires 12,478 Shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Van ECK Associates Corp increased its holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 2.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 577,700 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 12,478 shares during the quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp owned about 0.13% of Zoetis worth $94,124,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Zoetis by 482.8% in the 4th quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 169 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Zoetis in the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. First Personal Financial Services bought a new stake in Zoetis in the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in Zoetis in the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC increased its holdings in Zoetis by 80.6% in the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 168 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on ZTS. Piper Sandler cut their price target on Zoetis from $210.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Leerink Partners began coverage on Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 price target for the company. Leerink Partnrs upgraded Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Zoetis from $248.00 to $243.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $214.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.18, for a total value of $55,804.68. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,107 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,757,196.26. The trade was a 1.98 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Zoetis Stock Down 4.9 %

NYSE ZTS opened at $165.28 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $169.08 and its 200 day moving average is $179.08. The company has a current ratio of 3.69, a quick ratio of 2.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. Zoetis Inc. has a 12 month low of $144.80 and a 12 month high of $200.53. The stock has a market cap of $74.57 billion, a PE ratio of 31.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.90.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.40 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by $0.03. Zoetis had a return on equity of 51.98% and a net margin of 26.55%. Research analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, April 21st will be issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 21st. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.21%. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio is presently 37.59%.

About Zoetis

Zoetis Inc engages in the discovery, development, manufacture, and commercialization of animal health medicines, vaccines, and diagnostic products and services in the United States and internationally. The company commercializes products primarily across species, including livestock, such as cattle, swine, poultry, fish, and sheep and others; and companion animals comprising dogs, cats, and horses.