Broadway Wealth Solutions Inc. Acquires Shares of 1,673 Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Broadway Wealth Solutions Inc. bought a new position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor bought 1,673 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $273,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ZTS. Howard Capital Management Group LLC raised its position in shares of Zoetis by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 104,866 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,489,000 after purchasing an additional 883 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in Zoetis by 17.3% during the third 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 in the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. boosted its position in shares of Zoetis by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 25,979 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,076,000 after purchasing an additional 1,062 shares in the last quarter. Freedom Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Zoetis by 40.1% during the 3rd quarter. Freedom Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,699 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,113,000 after purchasing an additional 1,632 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund raised its stake in Zoetis by 383.1% in the 3rd quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 67,517 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,191,000 after purchasing an additional 53,540 shares during the last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Zoetis Stock Performance

ZTS stock opened at $165.12 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $166.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $174.87. Zoetis Inc. has a 1 year low of $144.80 and a 1 year high of $200.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $73.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.19, a PEG 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 (NYSE:ZTS) last released its 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 firm had revenue of $2.32 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. On average, research analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 EPS for the current 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 paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.21%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.56%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Zoetis news, Director Willie M. Reed sold 1,210 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 11,245 shares in the company, valued at $1,868,244.30. This represents a 9.71 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.18, for a total value of $55,804.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 16,107 shares in the company, valued at $2,757,196.26. This trade represents a 1.98 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 1,862 shares of company stock worth $312,254. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on ZTS shares. Leerink Partnrs upgraded Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 2nd. Leerink Partners began coverage on shares of Zoetis in a report on Monday, December 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 target price for the company. UBS Group assumed coverage on Zoetis in a report on Monday, December 9th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 price objective on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on shares of Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Zoetis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Zoetis currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $215.90.

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.