Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) Stock Holdings Lessened by Synovus Financial Corp

Synovus Financial Corp lessened its holdings in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 12.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,575 shares of the company’s stock after selling 789 shares during the period. Synovus Financial Corp’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $908,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings 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 valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its position in Zoetis by 5,533.3% during 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 period. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp bought a new position in Zoetis during the 4th quarter worth $44,000. Asset Planning Inc acquired a new stake in Zoetis in the fourth quarter worth $58,000. Finally, Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd bought a new stake in Zoetis in the fourth quarter valued at $59,000. Institutional investors own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Piper Sandler upped their price target 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. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Zoetis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on Zoetis from $180.00 to $165.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. One investment 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Zoetis presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $214.40.

Zoetis Stock Down 1.6 %

ZTS opened at $146.78 on Thursday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $65.49 billion, a PE ratio of 26.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.92. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $161.02 and its 200-day moving average is $170.60. Zoetis Inc. has a one year low of $139.70 and a one year high of $200.33.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last issued its quarterly 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 net margin of 26.86% and a return on equity of 53.82%. The firm had revenue of $2.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.30 billion. On average, equities analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, April 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.36%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. Zoetis’s payout ratio is 36.56%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Willie M. Reed sold 1,210 shares of Zoetis stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 11,245 shares in the company, valued at $1,868,244.30. This represents a 9.71 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 1,862 shares of company stock worth $312,254. 0.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.