Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) Stake Raised by Benjamin Edwards Inc.

Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 2,038.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 161,655 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 154,096 shares during the quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc.'s holdings in Zoetis were worth $31,583,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mizuho Securities USA LLC lifted its holdings in Zoetis by 13,726.9% during the 3rd quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 4,865,000 shares of the company's stock worth $950,524,000 after buying an additional 4,829,815 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in shares of Zoetis by 4.0% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 4,687,902 shares of the company's stock valued at $812,695,000 after acquiring an additional 178,303 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its stake in Zoetis by 5.3% during the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,896,106 shares of the company's stock worth $761,221,000 after purchasing an additional 194,542 shares during the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC boosted its holdings in Zoetis by 5.8% in the second quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 3,044,384 shares of the company's stock worth $527,774,000 after purchasing an additional 166,517 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in Zoetis by 17.3% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,377,403 shares of the company's stock valued at $464,497,000 after purchasing an additional 351,372 shares during the last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Zoetis Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ZTS traded up $1.56 during trading on Monday, hitting $176.81. The company had a trading volume of 2,380,621 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,545,031. Zoetis Inc. has a 52 week low of $144.80 and a 52 week high of $201.92. The business's 50-day moving average is $183.83 and its 200 day moving average is $180.97. The company has a market cap of $79.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.24, a PEG ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 2.27 and a current ratio of 3.69.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $1.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.46 by $0.12. Zoetis had a return on equity of 51.98% and a net margin of 26.55%. The company had revenue of $2.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.29 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.36 earnings per share. Zoetis's revenue for the quarter was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 31st will be issued a $0.432 dividend. This represents a $1.73 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.98%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 31st. Zoetis's payout ratio is 32.52%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on ZTS shares. Argus raised shares of Zoetis to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Leerink Partners assumed coverage on Zoetis in a report on Monday. They set an "outperform" rating and a $215.00 target price for the company. Piper Sandler raised their price target on Zoetis from $195.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Zoetis from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Finally, BTIG Research increased their target price on Zoetis from $220.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, August 12th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $220.80.

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.