Geode Capital Management LLC Acquires 190,137 Shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 1.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 10,617,897 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 190,137 shares during the quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC owned about 2.35% of Zoetis worth $1,726,075,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Zoetis by 482.8% in the fourth quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 169 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its stake in Zoetis by 5,533.3% in the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 169 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC grew its position in Zoetis by 80.6% during the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 168 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new stake in Zoetis during the 4th quarter valued at about $44,000. Finally, Asset Planning Inc bought a new stake in Zoetis during the 4th quarter valued at about $58,000. 92.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Zoetis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. UBS Group started coverage on Zoetis in a research report on Monday, December 9th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $196.00 price objective on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Piper Sandler upped 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. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Zoetis has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $215.90.

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Insider Activity at Zoetis

In other news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.18, for a total value of $55,804.68. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 16,107 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,757,196.26. This trade represents a 1.98 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Willie M. Reed sold 1,210 shares of Zoetis stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $166.14, for a total value of $201,029.40. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,245 shares in the company, 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 three months, insiders have sold 1,862 shares of company stock worth $312,254. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Zoetis Stock Performance

Shares of Zoetis stock traded down $7.85 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $151.76. 3,611,950 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,595,269. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $165.71 and a 200 day moving average price of $173.43. Zoetis Inc. has a one year low of $144.80 and a one year high of $200.33. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $67.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.92.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.40 earnings per share (EPS) 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 company had revenue of $2.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.30 billion. On average, equities research analysts expect that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, April 21st will be issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.32%. Zoetis's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.56%.

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.