Capital Investment Advisors LLC Increases Stake in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Capital Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 16.9% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 13,303 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,919 shares during the quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $2,190,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Callahan Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 90.4% in the fourth quarter. Callahan Advisors LLC now owns 13,105 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,135,000 after acquiring an additional 6,221 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its holdings in Zoetis by 24.1% during the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 237,369 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,617,000 after acquiring an additional 46,050 shares during the period. Schroder Investment Management Group lifted its stake in Zoetis by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 245,726 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,036,000 after purchasing an additional 6,169 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Zoetis by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 41,366,877 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,739,905,000 after purchasing an additional 120,158 shares during the period. Finally, Alberta Investment Management Corp grew its position in shares of Zoetis by 2,050.0% during the 4th quarter. Alberta Investment Management Corp now owns 30,100 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,904,000 after purchasing an additional 28,700 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Zoetis

In related news, Director Willie M. Reed sold 1,210 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $1,868,244.30. This trade represents a 9.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 652 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $110,840.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 15,129 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,571,930. This represents a 4.13% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis Trading Up 0.9%

ZTS stock opened at $170.15 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $75.75 billion, a PE ratio of 31.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.94. 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 one year low of $139.70 and a one year high of $200.33. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $157.41 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $164.21.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.40 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $2.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.20 billion. Zoetis had a net margin of 26.86% and a return on equity of 53.82%. The firm’s revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.38 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 18th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 18th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.18%. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 35.91%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on ZTS shares. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Zoetis from $180.00 to $165.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. 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 report on Friday, February 14th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Zoetis from $189.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $212.75.

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.