AustralianSuper Pty Ltd Invests $5.73 Million in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

AustralianSuper Pty Ltd acquired a new position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 35,162 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,729,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Zoetis by 482.8% in the 4th quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 169 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 140 shares during the period. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Zoetis in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new stake in shares of Zoetis in the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Zoetis in the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC grew its stake in shares of Zoetis by 80.6% in the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 168 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the period. 92.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Zoetis Price Performance

Zoetis stock opened at $157.54 on Friday. Zoetis Inc. has a 52 week low of $144.80 and a 52 week high of $200.53. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $168.51 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $178.81. The company has a quick ratio of 2.27, a current ratio of 3.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The stock has a market cap of $71.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.61, a P/E/G ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.90.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.40 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $2.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.30 billion. Zoetis had a net margin of 26.55% and a return on equity of 51.98%. On average, equities analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The business 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 is Monday, April 21st. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.27%. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.56%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. 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, February 10th. 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. Leerink Partners initiated 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. Finally, Leerink Partnrs upgraded Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. One investment 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 company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Zoetis currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $214.90.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of Zoetis stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.18, for a total value of $55,804.68. Following the sale, the executive vice president now 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 SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Zoetis Company Profile

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.