Howard Capital Management Inc. Acquires 277 Shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Howard Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 9.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,163 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 277 shares during the period. Howard Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $515,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Zoetis by 482.8% during the fourth quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 169 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Zoetis during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. First Personal Financial Services bought a new position in Zoetis during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in Zoetis during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of Zoetis by 80.6% in the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 168 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. 92.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Leerink Partners started coverage on Zoetis in a report on Monday, December 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 price target for the company. UBS Group initiated coverage on Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 9th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays upped their target price on Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered their target price on Zoetis from $210.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $215.40.

Insider Buying and Selling at Zoetis

In other news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.18, for a total value of $55,804.68. Following 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis Trading Up 3.1 %

NYSE ZTS opened at $165.51 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. Zoetis Inc. has a 52 week low of $144.80 and a 52 week high of $200.53. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $166.30 and a 200-day moving average price of $177.78. The company has a market cap of $74.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.26, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.90.

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

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, April 21st will be given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.21%. Zoetis’s payout ratio is 36.56%.

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.