Ashton Thomas Securities LLC Sells 2,619 Shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Ashton Thomas Securities LLC reduced its stake in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 65.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,366 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,619 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC's holdings in Zoetis were worth $223,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Dunhill Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 80.6% during the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 168 shares of the company's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the period. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Zoetis by 482.8% during the 4th quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 169 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its stake in shares of Zoetis by 5,533.3% in the 4th 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 period. Quarry LP lifted its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 45.9% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 305 shares of the company's stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Asset Planning Inc acquired a new position in shares of Zoetis during the fourth quarter worth about $58,000. Institutional investors own 92.80% of the company's stock.

Zoetis Stock Performance

ZTS traded down $1.99 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $163.03. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,550,283 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,595,079. 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 company's 50-day moving average is $166.40 and its 200-day moving average is $174.55. Zoetis Inc. has a 52 week low of $144.80 and a 52 week high of $200.33. The firm has a market cap of $73.00 billion, a PE ratio of 29.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.94.

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

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 21st. Zoetis's payout ratio is 36.56%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ZTS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Barclays boosted their price objective 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. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Zoetis in a research report on Monday, December 9th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $196.00 target price for the company. Leerink Partnrs raised shares of Zoetis to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $215.90.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Zoetis news, Director Willie M. Reed sold 1,210 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.14, for a total transaction of $201,029.40. Following the transaction, 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 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. The trade was a 2.02 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 1,862 shares of company stock valued at $312,254. 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.