Ally Financial Inc. Acquires 4,000 Shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Ally Financial Inc. boosted its position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 57.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 11,000 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,000 shares during the period. Ally Financial Inc.'s holdings in Zoetis were worth $1,792,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Zoetis by 482.8% during 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 during the period. Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its stake in Zoetis by 5,533.3% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 169 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new stake in Zoetis in the fourth quarter worth $44,000. Asset Planning Inc bought a new stake in shares of Zoetis in the fourth quarter valued at $58,000. Finally, Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd bought a new position in shares of Zoetis during the 4th quarter worth $59,000. Institutional investors own 92.80% of the company's stock.

Zoetis Price Performance

ZTS traded up $3.43 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $150.28. The stock had a trading volume of 830,581 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,033,444. Zoetis Inc. has a 1 year low of $139.70 and a 1 year high of $200.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a current ratio of 1.75. The business has a fifty day moving average of $159.49 and a 200 day moving average of $169.35. The company has a market cap of $67.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.92.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $2.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.30 billion. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.33%. Zoetis's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.56%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on ZTS shares. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on Zoetis from $180.00 to $165.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. StockNews.com upgraded Zoetis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on Zoetis from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Zoetis presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $214.40.

Insider Transactions at Zoetis

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

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.