Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) Shares Bought by Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV

Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV grew its holdings in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 3.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,554 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 411 shares during the period. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $2,046,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. State Street Corp increased its position in Zoetis by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 19,779,344 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,864,488,000 after purchasing an additional 95,856 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Zoetis by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,427,760 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,030,813,000 after purchasing an additional 185,364 shares during the period. Mizuho Securities USA LLC increased its position in Zoetis by 13,726.9% during the 3rd quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 4,865,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $950,524,000 after purchasing an additional 4,829,815 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 5.3% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,896,106 shares of the company’s stock worth $761,221,000 after acquiring an additional 194,542 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 10.6% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,916,539 shares of the company’s stock worth $569,834,000 after acquiring an additional 279,092 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis Trading Down 4.5 %

Shares of Zoetis stock opened at $157.54 on Friday. Zoetis Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $144.80 and a fifty-two week high of $200.53. The firm has a market cap of $71.07 billion, a PE ratio of 29.61, a P/E/G ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.90. The business’s fifty day moving average is $168.51 and its two-hundred day moving average is $178.81. 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 (NYSE:ZTS) last issued its quarterly 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 return on equity of 51.98% and a net margin of 26.55%. The company had revenue of $2.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.30 billion. Analysts anticipate that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, April 21st will be given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.27%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.56%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on ZTS shares. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. UBS Group started coverage on Zoetis in a report on Monday, December 9th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 price target on the stock. Leerink Partners started coverage on Zoetis in a report on Monday, December 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 price target on the stock. Barclays upped their price target on Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Leerink Partnrs upgraded Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 2nd. One investment 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, Zoetis has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $214.90.

Insider Buying and Selling

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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,107 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,757,196.26. This trade represents a 1.98 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate 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.