Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) Shares Acquired by Daiwa Securities Group Inc.

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its stake in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 4.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 75,874 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 3,421 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.'s holdings in Zoetis were worth $12,362,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in ZTS. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Zoetis by 482.8% during the fourth quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 169 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Zoetis during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in shares of Zoetis during the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. First Personal Financial Services bought a new position in shares of Zoetis during the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of Zoetis by 80.6% during the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 168 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Zoetis Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ZTS traded down $1.65 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $160.03. The company had a trading volume of 2,744,683 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,560,225. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $166.86 and its 200 day simple moving average is $176.33. The stock has a market cap of $71.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.26, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.94. Zoetis Inc. has a 1 year low of $144.80 and a 1 year high of $200.33. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09.

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Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly 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. The business had revenue of $2.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.30 billion. Zoetis had a net margin of 26.86% and a return on equity of 53.82%. On average, analysts forecast that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 21st. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.25%. Zoetis's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.56%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 15,781 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,682,770. This trade represents a 2.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Willie M. Reed sold 1,210 shares of the firm's 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 directly owns 11,245 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,868,244.30. This trade represents a 9.71 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 1,862 shares of company stock valued at $312,254. Insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 9th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $196.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Leerink Partnrs upgraded shares of Zoetis to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. Leerink Partners started coverage on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $215.00 target price for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $215.90.

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.