Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) Shares Sold by LGT Fund Management Co Ltd.

LGT Fund Management Co Ltd. lowered its holdings in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 45.5% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 2,638 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,200 shares during the quarter. LGT Fund Management Co Ltd.’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $430,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Howard Capital Management Group LLC increased its holdings in Zoetis by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 104,866 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,489,000 after acquiring an additional 883 shares in the last quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC raised its holdings in Zoetis by 11.8% in the third quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 2,518 shares of the company’s stock valued at $476,000 after buying an additional 265 shares during the period. F M Investments LLC purchased a new position in Zoetis in the third quarter valued at approximately $288,000. Optas LLC purchased a new position in Zoetis in the third quarter valued at approximately $201,000. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its holdings in Zoetis by 3.2% in the third quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 103,884 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,297,000 after buying an additional 3,208 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis Price Performance

NYSE ZTS opened at $170.47 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $166.42 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $177.16. 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 company has a market cap of $76.34 billion, a PE ratio of 31.16, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.90. Zoetis Inc. has a 1 year low of $144.80 and a 1 year high of $200.33.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $2.32 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. Zoetis had a return on equity of 53.82% and a net margin of 26.86%. On average, analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 EPS for the current year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.17%. Zoetis’s payout ratio is presently 36.56%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Zoetis news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was 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 approximately $2,757,196.26. The trade was a 1.98 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on ZTS. Leerink Partners initiated coverage on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 price target for the company. 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. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. UBS Group began coverage on shares of Zoetis in a report on Monday, December 9th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $215.90.

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.