LGT Financial Advisors LLC Buys Shares of 750 Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

LGT Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund bought 750 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $122,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of ZTS. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Zoetis by 482.8% in the 4th quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 169 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its stake 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 purchasing an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Navigoe LLC purchased a new stake in Zoetis in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the 4th quarter worth about $44,000. Finally, Asset Planning Inc purchased a new position in shares of Zoetis in the fourth quarter valued at $58,000. 92.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Zoetis Trading Up 0.8 %

NYSE:ZTS opened at $156.65 on Thursday. Zoetis Inc. has a 52 week low of $139.70 and a 52 week high of $200.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $69.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.64, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a quick ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $158.73 and a 200 day moving average of $167.90.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.40 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by $0.03. Zoetis had a return on equity of 53.82% and a net margin of 26.86%. The company had revenue of $2.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.30 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.28%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.56%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on ZTS. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on shares of Zoetis from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective 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 target on Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Zoetis from $180.00 to $165.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Zoetis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Zoetis presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $214.40.

Insider Buying and Selling at Zoetis

In related news, Director Willie M. Reed sold 1,210 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.14, for a total value of $201,029.40. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 11,245 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,868,244.30. This represents a 9.71 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of Zoetis stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $55,420.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 1,862 shares of company stock valued at $312,254. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

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.