National Bank of Canada FI Lowers Stock Holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

National Bank of Canada FI decreased its position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 28.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 309,125 shares of the company's stock after selling 120,524 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI owned 0.07% of Zoetis worth $50,369,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Zoetis by 482.8% during the fourth quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 169 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its position in shares of Zoetis by 5,533.3% during the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 169 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC raised its stake in shares of Zoetis by 80.6% during the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 168 shares of the company's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new position in shares of Zoetis in the 4th quarter worth about $44,000. Finally, Asset Planning Inc bought a new position in Zoetis during the fourth quarter valued at about $58,000. Institutional investors own 92.80% of the company's stock.

Zoetis Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ZTS traded down $7.85 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $151.76. 3,611,950 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,606,299. Zoetis Inc. has a 12 month low of $144.80 and a 12 month high of $200.33. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $166.04 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $173.88. 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 price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.92.

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Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last announced 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 return on equity of 53.82% and a net margin of 26.86%. The firm had revenue of $2.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.30 billion. On average, equities analysts expect that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be given 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 dividend yield of 1.32%. Zoetis's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.56%.

Insider Transactions at Zoetis

In related news, Director Willie M. Reed sold 1,210 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 11,245 shares in the company, valued at $1,868,244.30. The trade was a 9.71 % 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, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $55,420.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,781 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,682,770. The trade was a 2.02 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 1,862 shares of company stock valued at $312,254. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on ZTS. StockNews.com raised shares of Zoetis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, UBS Group initiated coverage on Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 9th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $196.00 price target for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price 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.