Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC Increases Stake in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC increased its position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 20.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 31,552 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,340 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC's holdings in Zoetis were worth $5,141,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Callan Family Office LLC bought a new stake in Zoetis during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,127,000. E Fund Management Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Zoetis by 80.6% during the fourth quarter. E Fund Management Co. Ltd. now owns 2,946 shares of the company's stock valued at $480,000 after buying an additional 1,315 shares during the last quarter. Blue Barn Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Zoetis by 12.9% during the fourth quarter. Blue Barn Wealth LLC now owns 1,801 shares of the company's stock worth $293,000 after buying an additional 206 shares in the last quarter. Freestone Capital Holdings LLC raised its position in Zoetis by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Freestone Capital Holdings LLC now owns 34,755 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,663,000 after buying an additional 906 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ethos Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in Zoetis by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Ethos Financial Group LLC now owns 2,053 shares of the company's stock valued at $335,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.80% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Leerink Partnrs upgraded shares of Zoetis to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Barclays increased their price target on Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Leerink Partners started coverage on Zoetis in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $215.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their target price on Zoetis from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. One equities 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $215.90.

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Zoetis Stock Performance

Zoetis stock traded up $3.09 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $170.34. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,296,788 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,274,650. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $166.72 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $176.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a current ratio of 1.75. Zoetis Inc. has a 12-month low of $144.80 and a 12-month high of $200.33. The company has a market capitalization of $76.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.14, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.94.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last posted 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. The firm had revenue of $2.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.30 billion. Zoetis had a return on equity of 53.82% and a net margin of 26.86%. Sell-side 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. Investors of record on Monday, April 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 21st. Zoetis's dividend payout ratio is 36.56%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of Zoetis 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 16,107 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,757,196.26. This trade represents a 1.98 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.16% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Zoetis

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.