CENTRAL TRUST Co Buys 825 Shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

CENTRAL TRUST Co lifted its stake in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 3.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 25,627 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 825 shares during the quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $4,219,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in ZTS. Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its position in Zoetis by 5,533.3% in the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 169 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. Navigoe LLC bought a new position in Zoetis in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp bought a new position in Zoetis in the 4th quarter valued at about $44,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its position in Zoetis by 141.4% in the 1st quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 280 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 164 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bfsg LLC lifted its position in Zoetis by 614.6% in the 1st quarter. Bfsg LLC now owns 293 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 252 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis Price Performance

Zoetis stock opened at $161.63 on Wednesday. Zoetis Inc. has a 52 week low of $139.70 and a 52 week high of $200.33. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $159.23 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $163.74. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12. The stock has a market cap of $71.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.02, a P/E/G ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.94.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.08. Zoetis had a net margin of 27.12% and a return on equity of 55.48%. The firm had revenue of $2.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.20 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.38 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 18th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.24%. Zoetis’s payout ratio is currently 35.91%.

Insider Transactions at Zoetis

In other news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 652 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $110,840.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 15,129 shares in the company, valued at $2,571,930. This trade represents a 4.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ZTS has been the topic of several recent research reports. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Zoetis from $189.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Piper Sandler raised their price target 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. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on shares of Zoetis from $180.00 to $165.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Zoetis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $212.75.

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.