Prudential Financial Inc. Sells 54,548 Shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Prudential Financial Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 18.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 242,335 shares of the company's stock after selling 54,548 shares during the quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. owned 0.05% of Zoetis worth $39,484,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in ZTS. ICW Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in Zoetis by 22.6% in the fourth quarter. ICW Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,989 shares of the company's stock valued at $813,000 after acquiring an additional 920 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Zoetis by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 41,366,877 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,739,905,000 after purchasing an additional 120,158 shares during the period. Napatree Capital LLC increased its stake in Zoetis by 15.2% during the 4th quarter. Napatree Capital LLC now owns 3,123 shares of the company's stock worth $509,000 after purchasing an additional 411 shares in the last quarter. Stevens Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Zoetis during the 4th quarter worth approximately $548,000. Finally, LPL Financial LLC lifted its stake in Zoetis by 10.4% in the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 396,851 shares of the company's stock valued at $64,722,000 after buying an additional 37,275 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.80% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently commented on ZTS. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Zoetis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Leerink Partners assumed coverage on Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $215.00 price target on the stock. Leerink Partnrs raised Zoetis to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Zoetis currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $215.90.

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Zoetis Stock Performance

NYSE ZTS traded down $1.99 on Friday, hitting $163.03. 1,550,283 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,595,079. The company has a market capitalization of $73.00 billion, a PE ratio of 29.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.94. 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 business's fifty day moving average is $166.40 and its 200 day moving average is $174.55. Zoetis Inc. has a 52 week low of $144.80 and a 52 week high of $200.33.

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

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The firm 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 $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.23%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. Zoetis's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.56%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Zoetis

In related news, Director Willie M. Reed sold 1,210 shares of the company's 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 owns 11,245 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,868,244.30. This represents a 9.71 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 15,781 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,682,770. This trade represents a 2.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 1,862 shares of company stock valued at $312,254 in the last quarter. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.