Zions Bancorporation N.A. Boosts Stock Position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Zions Bancorporation N.A. boosted its holdings in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 25.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 26,482 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,446 shares during the quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A.'s holdings in Zoetis were worth $4,315,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in ZTS. TIAA Trust National Association increased its stake in Zoetis by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. TIAA Trust National Association now owns 123,829 shares of the company's stock worth $20,175,000 after acquiring an additional 1,764 shares during the last quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 5.8% in the 4th quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC now owns 12,536 shares of the company's stock worth $2,155,000 after purchasing an additional 685 shares during the period. ICW Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Zoetis by 22.6% during the 4th quarter. ICW Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,989 shares of the company's stock valued at $813,000 after purchasing an additional 920 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Zoetis by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 41,366,877 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,739,905,000 after buying an additional 120,158 shares during the period. Finally, Napatree Capital LLC lifted its position in Zoetis by 15.2% in the fourth quarter. Napatree Capital LLC now owns 3,123 shares of the company's stock worth $509,000 after buying an additional 411 shares during the last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on ZTS shares. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Zoetis in a research report on Monday, December 9th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $196.00 price objective on the stock. Leerink Partners began coverage on shares of Zoetis in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $215.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded Zoetis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $215.90.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $55,420.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly 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 filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Willie M. Reed sold 1,210 shares of the 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 completion of 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 a total of 1,862 shares of company stock worth $312,254 in the last 90 days. 0.16% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Zoetis Stock Down 1.2 %

Shares of ZTS stock traded down $1.99 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $163.03. The stock had a trading volume of 1,550,283 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,595,079. Zoetis Inc. has a 12-month low of $144.80 and a 12-month high of $200.33. 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 firm's 50-day moving average is $166.40 and its two-hundred day moving average is $174.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $73.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.94.

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

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.23%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. Zoetis's payout ratio is currently 36.56%.

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.