Sandhill Capital Partners LLC Cuts Holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Sandhill Capital Partners LLC trimmed its position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 3.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 93,249 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,202 shares during the period. Zoetis makes up approximately 1.2% of Sandhill Capital Partners LLC's holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. Sandhill Capital Partners LLC's holdings in Zoetis were worth $15,193,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its holdings 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 during the period. Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new position in Zoetis during the fourth quarter valued at $44,000. Finally, Asset Planning Inc acquired a new stake in Zoetis in the 4th quarter worth about $58,000. 92.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Zoetis Stock Performance

Shares of ZTS stock traded up $2.40 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $149.40. The stock had a trading volume of 2,850,492 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,588,450. The stock's 50 day moving average is $162.51 and its 200 day moving average is $171.22. Zoetis Inc. has a twelve month low of $139.70 and a twelve month high of $200.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $66.66 billion, a PE ratio of 27.31, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.08.

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Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.40 EPS 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. As a group, research analysts forecast that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 earnings per share 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. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.34%. Zoetis's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.56%.

Insider Transactions at Zoetis

In other news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of Zoetis stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction 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 $2,682,770. The trade was a 2.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Willie M. Reed sold 1,210 shares of the business'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 transaction, the director now owns 11,245 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,868,244.30. This trade represents 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 in the last ninety days. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ZTS has been the topic of several recent research reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Zoetis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on Zoetis from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Barclays boosted 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. 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently 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.