Rathbones Group PLC Increases Holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Rathbones Group PLC boosted its position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 8.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 435,999 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 33,871 shares during the period. Rathbones Group PLC’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $71,037,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Howard Capital Management Group LLC grew its stake in Zoetis by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 104,866 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,489,000 after acquiring an additional 883 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Zoetis by 17.3% in 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 during the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC grew its position in shares of Zoetis by 1.3% in the third quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 7,271 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,421,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP raised its position in shares of Zoetis by 45.9% during the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 305 shares of the company’s stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Finally, iA Global Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in Zoetis by 600.3% in the 3rd quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 25,504 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,983,000 after buying an additional 21,862 shares in the last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Zoetis Price Performance

NYSE ZTS opened at $151.76 on Monday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $165.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $173.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a current ratio of 1.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $67.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.92. Zoetis Inc. has a 1 year low of $144.69 and a 1 year high of $200.33.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.40 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $0.03. Zoetis had a return on equity of 53.82% and a net margin of 26.86%. The business had revenue of $2.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.30 billion. On average, research analysts forecast that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 21st. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.32%. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio is 36.56%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Zoetis in a report on Monday, December 9th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. StockNews.com upgraded Zoetis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their target price on shares of Zoetis from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. One investment 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $215.90.

Insider Transactions at Zoetis

In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $55,420.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,781 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,682,770. This trade represents a 2.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Willie M. Reed sold 1,210 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director now owns 11,245 shares in the company, valued at $1,868,244.30. This trade represents a 9.71 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 1,862 shares of company stock valued at $312,254 over the last three months. 0.16% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.