Tandem Investment Advisors Inc. Buys New Shares in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Tandem Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 197,537 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $32,185,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. AMF Tjanstepension AB lifted its holdings in Zoetis by 23.4% in the 3rd quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 105,376 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,594,000 after purchasing an additional 20,001 shares in the last quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC grew its holdings in Zoetis by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 104,866 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,489,000 after buying an additional 883 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its position in shares of Zoetis by 8.0% during the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 55,696 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,882,000 after buying an additional 4,107 shares during the last quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 128.5% in the third quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 361 shares of the company’s stock worth $71,000 after buying an additional 203 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI boosted its position in shares of Zoetis by 39.6% during the third quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI now owns 2,590 shares of the company’s stock worth $507,000 after acquiring an additional 735 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis Price Performance

NYSE:ZTS opened at $157.38 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $70.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.77, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.08. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $166.86 and a 200-day simple moving average of $178.14. Zoetis Inc. has a 1 year low of $144.80 and a 1 year high of $200.53.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last issued its quarterly 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. The company had revenue of $2.32 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. Zoetis had a return on equity of 53.82% and a net margin of 26.86%. Equities analysts forecast that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 EPS for the current year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, April 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 is presently 36.56%.

Insider Activity at Zoetis

In other Zoetis news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.18, for a total value of $55,804.68. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 16,107 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,757,196.26. This trade represents a 1.98 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on the stock. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Zoetis in a report on Monday, December 9th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 price target on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Leerink Partners initiated coverage on Zoetis in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Zoetis presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $214.90.

Zoetis 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.