Zoetis Inc. $ZTS Shares Sold by UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp

UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp trimmed its holdings in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 14.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 48,257 shares of the company’s stock after selling 8,406 shares during the period. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $7,061,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Scott & Selber Inc. lifted its holdings in Zoetis by 0.6% in the second quarter. Scott & Selber Inc. now owns 11,652 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,817,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the period. North Star Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Zoetis by 4.9% in the second quarter. North Star Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,441 shares of the company’s stock valued at $225,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. Moment Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Zoetis by 3.2% during the second quarter. Moment Partners LLC now owns 2,354 shares of the company’s stock worth $367,000 after buying an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. CVA Family Office LLC grew its position in Zoetis by 6.7% during the second quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 1,173 shares of the company’s stock worth $183,000 after buying an additional 74 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of Nova Scotia Trust Co. grew its position in Zoetis by 4.6% during the second quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia Trust Co. now owns 1,692 shares of the company’s stock worth $264,000 after buying an additional 74 shares during the period. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Zoetis Trading Down 0.6%

Zoetis stock opened at $124.35 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $123.51 and a 200 day moving average price of $138.66. Zoetis Inc. has a 52 week low of $115.25 and a 52 week high of $177.40. The stock has a market cap of $54.80 billion, a PE ratio of 20.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a current ratio of 3.64, a quick ratio of 2.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.62 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $2.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.42 billion. Zoetis had a net margin of 28.21% and a return on equity of 57.19%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.58 EPS. Zoetis has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.300-6.400 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 20th will be given a $0.53 dividend. This is an increase from Zoetis’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 20th. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.69%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ZTS has been the subject of a number of research reports. HSBC set a $140.00 price target on shares of Zoetis in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Zoetis from $158.00 to $141.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Weiss Ratings raised Zoetis from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and issued a $160.00 price target on shares of Zoetis in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $160.00 price objective on shares of Zoetis in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $152.91.

Zoetis Profile

Zoetis Inc (NYSE: ZTS) is a global animal health company that develops, manufactures and markets a broad portfolio of products and services for companion animals and livestock. The company’s offerings include pharmaceuticals, vaccines and biologics, parasiticides and anti-infectives, as well as diagnostic instruments, consumables and laboratory testing services. Zoetis serves the veterinary community, livestock producers and other animal-health customers with products designed to prevent, detect and treat disease and to support animal productivity and welfare.

Zoetis traces its roots to the animal health business of Pfizer and became an independent, publicly traded company following a 2013 separation and initial public offering.