Bessemer Group Inc. Purchases 3,282 Shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Bessemer Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 10.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 34,399 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 3,282 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc.'s holdings in Zoetis were worth $5,606,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Mission Wealth Management LP increased its position in Zoetis by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Mission Wealth Management LP now owns 2,938 shares of the company's stock worth $479,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. VeraBank N.A. increased its holdings in Zoetis by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. VeraBank N.A. now owns 1,562 shares of the company's stock worth $254,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC increased its holdings in Zoetis by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 1,373 shares of the company's stock worth $224,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Zoetis by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 4,712 shares of the company's stock valued at $768,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators lifted its stake in Zoetis by 6.6% in the fourth quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 1,045 shares of the company's stock valued at $170,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Zoetis Stock Performance

ZTS stock traded up $2.07 on Thursday, reaching $148.83. 1,126,492 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,552,055. The firm has a market capitalization of $66.40 billion, a PE ratio of 27.24, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.92. Zoetis Inc. has a 12 month low of $139.70 and a 12 month high of $200.33. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $161.02 and its 200 day moving average price is $170.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.08.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. On average, research analysts anticipate that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The company 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 dividend of $0.50 per share. 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 payout ratio is presently 36.56%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the company'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 value of $55,420.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,781 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,682,770. This represents a 2.02 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Willie M. Reed sold 1,210 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.14, for a total value of $201,029.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,245 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 1,862 shares of company stock worth $312,254. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ZTS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. StockNews.com raised 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 $180.00 to $165.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their price target on Zoetis from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $214.40.

Zoetis 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.