Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) Shares Purchased by Advisors Capital Management LLC

Advisors Capital Management LLC increased its position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 4.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 131,972 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 5,478 shares during the period. Advisors Capital Management LLC's holdings in Zoetis were worth $21,502,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Howard Capital Management Group LLC grew its stake in Zoetis by 0.8% in 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 during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Zoetis by 17.3% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,377,403 shares of the company's stock worth $464,497,000 after purchasing an additional 351,372 shares in the last quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Zoetis by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,465 shares of the company's stock worth $872,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 29.1% in the third quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 34,236 shares of the company's stock worth $6,689,000 after acquiring an additional 7,709 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its holdings in Zoetis by 801.0% in the 3rd quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 18,606 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,635,000 after purchasing an additional 16,541 shares in the last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Zoetis Stock Up 1.3 %

Zoetis stock traded up $1.88 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $148.64. 4,239,788 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,561,243. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.08. Zoetis Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $139.70 and a fifty-two week high of $200.33. The company's fifty day moving average price is $160.55 and its 200-day moving average price is $170.28. The company has a market cap of $66.32 billion, a PE ratio of 27.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.92.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last announced its 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. Zoetis had a net margin of 26.86% and a return on equity of 53.82%. The business had revenue of $2.32 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. On average, research analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The firm 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 1.35%. Zoetis's dividend payout ratio is presently 36.56%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of Zoetis from $180.00 to $165.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday. StockNews.com upgraded Zoetis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on shares of Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $214.40.

Insider Buying and Selling at Zoetis

In other news, 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 value of $55,420.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 15,781 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,682,770. The trade was a 2.02 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Willie M. Reed sold 1,210 shares of the company's 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 approximately $1,868,244.30. This trade represents a 9.71 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 1,862 shares of company stock valued at $312,254 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

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.