Vontobel Holding Ltd. Has $258.98 Million Holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Vontobel Holding Ltd. raised its holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 17.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,589,525 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 241,650 shares during the quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. owned 0.35% of Zoetis worth $258,981,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. AMF Tjanstepension AB lifted its position in shares of Zoetis by 23.4% in the 3rd quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 105,376 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,594,000 after acquiring an additional 20,001 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC raised its stake in shares of Zoetis by 4,582.9% in the third quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 1,639 shares of the company’s stock valued at $320,000 after purchasing an additional 1,604 shares in the last quarter. Creative Planning lifted its position in Zoetis by 8.6% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 90,401 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,663,000 after purchasing an additional 7,170 shares during the period. Asset Dedication LLC boosted its stake in Zoetis by 10.4% during the third quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 1,296 shares of the company’s stock worth $253,000 after buying an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Zoetis by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,968 shares of the company’s stock valued at $775,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis Stock Performance

Zoetis stock opened at $165.28 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $169.08 and a 200 day simple moving average of $179.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $74.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a quick ratio of 2.27, a current ratio of 3.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. Zoetis Inc. has a 12-month low of $144.80 and a 12-month high of $200.53.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last announced 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 net margin of 26.55% and a return on equity of 51.98%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be given 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 yield of 1.21%. Zoetis’s payout ratio is 37.59%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on ZTS shares. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. UBS Group assumed coverage on Zoetis in a report on Monday, December 9th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 price objective on the stock. Leerink Partnrs raised Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 2nd. Piper Sandler decreased their price target on Zoetis from $210.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Finally, Leerink Partners started coverage on Zoetis in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 price target on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $214.00.

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.