SlateStone Wealth LLC Has $4.27 Million Stock Position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

SlateStone Wealth LLC raised its holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 3.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 26,191 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 834 shares during the quarter. SlateStone Wealth LLC’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $4,267,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. First National Advisers LLC grew its holdings in Zoetis by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. First National Advisers LLC now owns 28,285 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,609,000 after buying an additional 1,176 shares during the last quarter. Glenview Trust co grew its holdings in Zoetis by 10.8% in the 4th quarter. Glenview Trust co now owns 4,221 shares of the company’s stock valued at $688,000 after buying an additional 410 shares during the last quarter. Sovereign Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Zoetis in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $246,000. Avalon Trust Co grew its holdings in Zoetis by 217.7% in the 4th quarter. Avalon Trust Co now owns 2,627 shares of the company’s stock valued at $428,000 after buying an additional 1,800 shares during the last quarter. Finally, one8zero8 LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the 4th quarter worth approximately $368,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com raised Zoetis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Leerink Partners assumed coverage on Zoetis in a report on Monday, December 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group assumed coverage on Zoetis in a report on Monday, December 9th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 price objective on the stock. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on Zoetis from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $215.90.

Insider Transactions at Zoetis

In other news, Director Willie M. Reed sold 1,210 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.14, for a total transaction of $201,029.40. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 11,245 shares in the company, valued at $1,868,244.30. The trade was a 9.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $55,420.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 15,781 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,682,770. The trade was a 2.02 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 1,862 shares of company stock worth $312,254 over the last 90 days. 0.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Zoetis Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of ZTS opened at $161.33 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $166.82 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $176.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a current ratio of 1.75. Zoetis Inc. has a 52-week low of $144.80 and a 52-week high of $200.33. The company has a market cap of $72.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.49, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.94.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $0.03. Zoetis had a return on equity of 53.82% and a net margin of 26.86%. The firm had revenue of $2.32 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. Analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.24%. Zoetis’s payout ratio is 36.56%.

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.