Rhumbline Advisers Grows Holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Rhumbline Advisers increased its holdings in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 0.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,063,101 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 515 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers owned about 0.24% of Zoetis worth $173,211,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ZTS. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Zoetis by 482.8% during the 4th quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 169 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 140 shares during the period. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Zoetis during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new stake in Zoetis during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in Zoetis during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC increased its stake in Zoetis by 80.6% during the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 168 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the period. 92.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Zoetis Stock Performance

NYSE:ZTS opened at $157.54 on Friday. Zoetis Inc. has a twelve month low of $144.80 and a twelve month high of $200.53. The company has a market capitalization of $71.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.90. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $168.89 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $178.98. The company has a current ratio of 3.69, a quick ratio of 2.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.40 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $0.03. Zoetis had a net margin of 26.55% and a return on equity of 51.98%. As a group, research analysts expect that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. 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 1.27%. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio is currently 37.59%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ZTS has been the subject of several analyst reports. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Leerink Partners initiated coverage on shares of Zoetis in a report on Monday, December 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 price target for the company. Leerink Partnrs upgraded shares of Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 2nd. 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. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $214.90.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of Zoetis stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.18, for a total transaction of $55,804.68. Following the sale, 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 SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

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.