Wilkinson Global Asset Management LLC Decreases Position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Wilkinson Global Asset Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 0.6% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 116,432 shares of the company’s stock after selling 672 shares during the period. Zoetis makes up approximately 1.2% of Wilkinson Global Asset Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest position. Wilkinson Global Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $18,970,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ZTS. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new position in shares of Zoetis in the 4th quarter valued at $641,000. Callahan Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 90.4% during the fourth quarter. Callahan Advisors LLC now owns 13,105 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,135,000 after purchasing an additional 6,221 shares during the last quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund grew its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 32.0% during the fourth quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund now owns 17,707 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,885,000 after purchasing an additional 4,293 shares during the last quarter. BKM Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Zoetis by 7.5% during the fourth quarter. BKM Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,393 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,367,000 after purchasing an additional 584 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kestra Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 106.9% in the 4th quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC now owns 6,057 shares of the company’s stock valued at $987,000 after purchasing an additional 3,129 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Zoetis

In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.18, for a total transaction 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of Zoetis stock opened at $156.43 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $70.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.90. Zoetis Inc. has a 52-week low of $144.80 and a 52-week high of $200.53. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $167.70 and its 200-day simple moving average is $178.44. The company has a quick ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by $0.03. Zoetis had a return on equity of 53.82% and a net margin of 26.86%. The business had revenue of $2.32 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.28%. Zoetis’s payout ratio is currently 36.56%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on ZTS shares. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. UBS Group began coverage on shares of Zoetis in a research report on Monday, December 9th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 price target for the company. Leerink Partners assumed coverage on shares of Zoetis in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Leerink Partnrs upgraded shares of Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. One 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. According to MarketBeat, Zoetis presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $214.90.

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.