Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) Shares Bought by Dnca Finance

Dnca Finance lifted its position in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 142.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 68,000 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 40,000 shares during the quarter. Dnca Finance's holdings in Zoetis were worth $11,079,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Howard Capital Management Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Zoetis by 0.8% in the third quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 104,866 shares of the company's stock valued at $20,489,000 after purchasing an additional 883 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted 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 buying an additional 351,372 shares in the last quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Zoetis by 2.4% during the third quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,465 shares of the company's stock worth $872,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in Zoetis by 29.1% during the third quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 34,236 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,689,000 after buying an additional 7,709 shares during the period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB grew its stake in shares of Zoetis by 801.0% in the 3rd quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 18,606 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,635,000 after buying an additional 16,541 shares in the last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on ZTS shares. StockNews.com upgraded Zoetis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Piper Sandler increased their price target on Zoetis from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on Zoetis from $180.00 to $165.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Barclays upped their price target 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $214.40.

Zoetis Stock Performance

Zoetis stock traded up $1.09 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $151.08. The company had a trading volume of 2,091,609 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,529,498. The company has a market capitalization of $67.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.62, a P/E/G 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 company's fifty day moving average is $159.19 and its 200-day moving average is $169.22. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09.

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, beating 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 business had revenue of $2.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.30 billion. Equities research analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 EPS for the current 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 issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.32%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 21st. Zoetis's payout ratio is currently 36.56%.

Insider Activity at Zoetis

In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owns 16,107 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,757,196.26. This represents a 1.98 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, 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 transaction of $201,029.40. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 11,245 shares in the company, valued at $1,868,244.30. This represents a 9.71 % 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 quarter. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

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.