Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. Reduces Holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. decreased its stake in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 2.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,749 shares of the company’s stock after selling 73 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc.’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $453,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Navigoe LLC bought a new stake in shares of Zoetis in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew its holdings in Zoetis by 79.3% during the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 199 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the period. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp bought a new stake in Zoetis during the fourth quarter valued at about $44,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its position in shares of Zoetis by 141.4% in the first 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 shares of Zoetis by 614.6% in the first 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Zoetis

In other Zoetis 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 15,129 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,571,930. This trade represents a 4.13% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on ZTS shares. Stifel Nicolaus cut Zoetis from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $165.00 to $160.00 in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Leerink Partners cut Zoetis from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $180.00 to $155.00 in a research report on Thursday. UBS Group lowered their price objective on 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 lifted their price objective on Zoetis from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Zoetis presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $204.63.

Zoetis Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of Zoetis stock opened at $150.00 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $66.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.91. 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 company has a 50-day simple moving average of $161.00 and a 200 day simple moving average of $161.54. Zoetis Inc. has a 12-month low of $139.70 and a 12-month high of $200.33.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last issued its quarterly 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. The company had revenue of $2.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.20 billion. Zoetis had a net margin of 27.12% and a return on equity of 55.48%. Zoetis’s revenue was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.38 EPS. Research analysts expect that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 18th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.33%. Zoetis’s payout ratio is 35.91%.

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.