Walter Public Investments Inc. Buys 8,587 Shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Walter Public Investments Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 10.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 92,852 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,587 shares during the quarter. Zoetis comprises 2.7% of Walter Public Investments Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Walter Public Investments Inc.’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $15,128,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Zoetis during the third quarter valued at about $31,000. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new stake in Zoetis in the third quarter worth about $33,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in Zoetis in the third quarter worth about $33,000. Dunhill Financial LLC boosted its holdings in Zoetis by 80.6% in the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 168 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Zoetis by 482.8% in the fourth quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 169 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ZTS has been the subject of a number of research reports. StockNews.com downgraded Zoetis from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. Leerink Partnrs raised Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 2nd. UBS Group initiated coverage on Zoetis in a report on Monday, December 9th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 target price for the company. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $215.40.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,107 shares in the company, valued at $2,757,196.26. The trade was a 1.98 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis Stock Down 2.1 %

Shares of ZTS stock opened at $164.99 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $166.22 and a 200 day moving average of $177.58. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The stock has a market cap of $73.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.90. Zoetis Inc. has a twelve month low of $144.80 and a twelve month high of $200.53.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.40 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $2.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.30 billion. Zoetis had a return on equity of 53.82% and a net margin of 26.86%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 EPS for the current year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 21st. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.56%.

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.