Rathbones Group PLC Purchases 33,871 Shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Rathbones Group PLC grew its position in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 8.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 435,999 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 33,871 shares during the quarter. Rathbones Group PLC owned 0.10% of Zoetis worth $71,037,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings 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 worth $6,739,905,000 after purchasing an additional 120,158 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Zoetis by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,617,897 shares of the company's stock worth $1,726,075,000 after buying an additional 190,137 shares during the last quarter. Polen Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 17.5% during the 4th quarter. Polen Capital Management LLC now owns 7,483,194 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,219,237,000 after acquiring an additional 1,116,541 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 78.5% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 6,958,543 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,133,755,000 after purchasing an additional 3,059,255 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 8.5% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 5,561,910 shares of the company's stock valued at $906,202,000 after buying an additional 433,429 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 92.80% of the company's stock.

Zoetis Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ZTS traded up $2.40 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $149.40. The stock had a trading volume of 2,850,492 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,624,264. The business's 50 day moving average price is $162.51 and its 200 day moving average price is $171.39. Zoetis Inc. has a 1 year low of $139.70 and a 1 year high of $200.33. The company has a market cap of $66.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.40 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $2.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.30 billion. Research analysts expect 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. Shareholders 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 yield of 1.34%. Zoetis's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.56%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. StockNews.com raised Zoetis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on shares of Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Barclays upped their price objective on Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their target price on Zoetis from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. 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 MarketBeat.com, Zoetis currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $215.90.

Insider Activity

In other Zoetis news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 of the company's stock, valued at $2,682,770. This represents a 2.02 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Willie M. Reed sold 1,210 shares of Zoetis stock in a transaction 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 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 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 ninety days. Insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Zoetis Profile

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.