Voya Financial Advisors Inc. Boosts Stock Position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Voya Financial Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 9.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,242 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 378 shares during the period. Voya Financial Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $688,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ZTS. Howard Capital Management Group LLC increased its position in shares of Zoetis by 0.8% during the third quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 104,866 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,489,000 after acquiring an additional 883 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in Zoetis by 17.3% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,377,403 shares of the company’s stock valued at $464,497,000 after purchasing an additional 351,372 shares during the last quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,465 shares of the company’s stock worth $872,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Zoetis by 29.1% in the third quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 34,236 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,689,000 after purchasing an additional 7,709 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 801.0% during the third quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 18,606 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,635,000 after purchasing an additional 16,541 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on ZTS shares. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Zoetis from $180.00 to $165.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. StockNews.com raised shares of Zoetis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Piper Sandler increased their price target on Zoetis from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $214.40.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $55,420.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 15,781 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,682,770. This trade represents a 2.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Willie M. Reed sold 1,210 shares of Zoetis stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $166.14, for a total value of $201,029.40. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 11,245 shares in the company, valued at $1,868,244.30. This trade represents a 9.71 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 1,862 shares of company stock worth $312,254. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis Stock Performance

NYSE:ZTS opened at $153.58 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $158.91 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $168.62. 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 $139.70 and a 52-week high of $200.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $68.52 billion, a PE ratio of 28.08, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.92.

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

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 21st. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.56%.

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.