Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd Decreases Stock Holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd trimmed its holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 77.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,045 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,677 shares during the period. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd's holdings in Zoetis were worth $170,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp raised its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp now owns 78,687 shares of the company's stock valued at $12,821,000 after purchasing an additional 1,683 shares during the last quarter. Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co boosted its stake in shares of Zoetis by 31.7% in the 4th quarter. Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 83,000 shares of the company's stock worth $13,523,000 after buying an additional 20,000 shares during the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new position in shares of Zoetis in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,559,000. Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $59,000. Finally, Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Zoetis during the fourth quarter worth $56,032,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.80% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Zoetis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their target price on Zoetis from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note 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 given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Zoetis presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $215.90.

Zoetis Trading Up 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE ZTS traded up $2.40 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $149.40. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,850,492 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,588,450. Zoetis Inc. has a 12 month low of $139.70 and a 12 month 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 50-day simple moving average of $162.51 and a 200-day simple moving average of $171.22. The stock has a market cap of $66.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.92.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last issued 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. The business had revenue of $2.32 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. Zoetis had a net margin of 26.86% and a return on equity of 53.82%. On average, analysts anticipate that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 1.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 21st. Zoetis's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.56%.

Insider Activity

In other Zoetis news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.18, for a total value of $55,804.68. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,107 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,757,196.26. The trade was a 1.98 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Willie M. Reed sold 1,210 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, 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 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.

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.