Value Partners Investments Inc. Grows Holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Value Partners Investments Inc. raised its position in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 6.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 12,414 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 749 shares during the quarter. Value Partners Investments Inc.’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $2,023,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Zoetis by 482.8% in 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. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Zoetis by 5,533.3% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 169 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the period. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp bought a new stake in Zoetis during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Asset Planning Inc bought a new stake in Zoetis during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $58,000. Finally, Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd purchased a new stake in Zoetis during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $59,000. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Zoetis Stock Up 1.6 %

Shares of ZTS opened at $149.40 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The business has a fifty day moving average of $162.51 and a 200 day moving average of $171.22. The company has a market cap of $66.66 billion, a PE ratio of 27.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.92. Zoetis Inc. has a 52-week low of $139.70 and a 52-week high of $200.33.

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

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, April 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 21st. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.56%.

Insider Activity at Zoetis

In related news, Director Willie M. Reed sold 1,210 shares of Zoetis stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $166.14, for a total transaction of $201,029.40. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 11,245 shares in the company, valued at $1,868,244.30. This trade represents a 9.71 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $55,420.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,781 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,682,770. This trade represents a 2.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 1,862 shares of company stock worth $312,254 in the last quarter. 0.16% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on ZTS. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Zoetis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Zoetis has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target 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.