DnB Asset Management AS Buys 2,257 Shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

DnB Asset Management AS boosted its position in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 2.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 83,014 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,257 shares during the quarter. DnB Asset Management AS's holdings in Zoetis were worth $13,525,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ZTS. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Zoetis by 482.8% in the 4th quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 169 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its stake in Zoetis by 5,533.3% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 169 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the period. Dunhill Financial LLC increased its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 80.6% in the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 168 shares of the company's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp bought a new stake in shares of Zoetis in the fourth quarter worth about $44,000. Finally, Asset Planning Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the fourth quarter worth about $58,000. Institutional investors own 92.80% of the company's stock.

Zoetis Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE:ZTS traded up $1.68 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $163.59. The company had a trading volume of 1,472,423 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,981,928. Zoetis Inc. has a 1-year low of $144.80 and a 1-year high of $200.33. The stock has a market cap of $73.25 billion, a PE ratio of 29.91, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a quick ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The business's 50 day moving average price is $166.26 and its 200 day moving average price is $174.05.

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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 for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $2.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.30 billion. Zoetis had a return on equity of 53.82% and a net margin of 26.86%. Research analysts forecast 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 given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 21st. Zoetis's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.56%.

Insider Transactions at Zoetis

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on ZTS shares. UBS Group began coverage on Zoetis in a research report on Monday, December 9th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $196.00 price objective for the company. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Barclays increased 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. StockNews.com raised shares of Zoetis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Zoetis has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $215.90.

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.