Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) Shares Sold by MML Investors Services LLC

MML Investors Services LLC lessened its stake in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 10.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 65,344 shares of the company's stock after selling 7,638 shares during the quarter. MML Investors Services LLC's holdings in Zoetis were worth $10,647,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Zoetis by 482.8% during 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% during the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 169 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 166 shares during the period. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the fourth quarter valued at about $44,000. Asset Planning Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Zoetis in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $58,000. Finally, Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Zoetis in the 4th quarter worth approximately $59,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.80% of the company's stock.

Zoetis Stock Up 0.8 %

NYSE ZTS traded up $1.28 during trading on Friday, reaching $153.58. 3,543,605 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,512,294. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $158.91 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $168.62. The stock has a market cap of $68.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.92. Zoetis Inc. has a 1 year low of $139.70 and a 1 year high of $200.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a current ratio of 1.75.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.37 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $2.32 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. Zoetis had a return on equity of 53.82% and a net margin of 26.86%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, April 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.30%. Zoetis's dividend payout ratio is presently 36.56%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 15,781 shares in the company, valued at $2,682,770. The trade was a 2.02 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Willie M. Reed sold 1,210 shares of the 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 sale, the director now directly owns 11,245 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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. Insiders have sold a total of 1,862 shares of company stock valued at $312,254 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Zoetis from $180.00 to $165.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Barclays increased their target price on Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. StockNews.com raised Zoetis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Piper Sandler increased their price target on shares of Zoetis from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. One research 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 data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $214.40.

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.