Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) Shares Sold by Martin Currie Ltd.

Martin Currie Ltd. reduced its position in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 27.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 297,442 shares of the company's stock after selling 111,209 shares during the period. Zoetis comprises 1.8% of Martin Currie Ltd.'s portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest position. Martin Currie Ltd. owned 0.07% of Zoetis worth $48,462,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in ZTS. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Zoetis by 482.8% during 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 during the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its holdings 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 in the last quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC boosted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp acquired a new position in Zoetis during the 4th quarter worth $44,000. Finally, Asset Planning Inc bought a new stake in shares of Zoetis in the 4th quarter worth about $58,000. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Zoetis Stock Performance

ZTS stock traded up $1.68 on Wednesday, reaching $163.59. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,026,171 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,598,345. Zoetis Inc. has a 52 week low of $144.80 and a 52 week high of $200.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.08. The company has a market capitalization of $73.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.94. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $166.26 and a two-hundred day moving average of $174.05.

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Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 53.82% and a net margin of 26.86%. The company had revenue of $2.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.30 billion. As a group, analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The business 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 $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.22%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. Zoetis's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.56%.

Insider Activity at Zoetis

In other news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of Zoetis stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $55,420.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,781 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,682,770. This trade represents a 2.02 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Willie M. Reed sold 1,210 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were 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 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. Insiders have sold 1,862 shares of company stock worth $312,254 over the last quarter. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on ZTS shares. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on Zoetis from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. UBS Group assumed coverage on Zoetis in a report on Monday, December 9th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $196.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com upgraded Zoetis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price 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 investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and an average 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.