Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) Shares Acquired by Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership

Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 1,269.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 267,679 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 248,131 shares during the quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership owned approximately 0.06% of Zoetis worth $43,613,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of ZTS. L & S Advisors Inc increased its position in Zoetis by 10.3% during the fourth quarter. L & S Advisors Inc now owns 15,905 shares of the company's stock worth $2,591,000 after buying an additional 1,490 shares in the last quarter. Tsai Capital Corp boosted its stake in shares of Zoetis by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. Tsai Capital Corp now owns 14,492 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,361,000 after acquiring an additional 522 shares during the last quarter. Biondo Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in Zoetis by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Biondo Investment Advisors LLC now owns 17,792 shares of the company's stock worth $2,899,000 after purchasing an additional 229 shares in the last quarter. Allstate Corp acquired a new position in Zoetis in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,186,000. Finally, DnB Asset Management AS lifted its holdings in Zoetis by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. DnB Asset Management AS now owns 83,014 shares of the company's stock valued at $13,525,000 after purchasing an additional 2,257 shares in the last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Zoetis Trading Down 4.9 %

NYSE ZTS traded down $7.85 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $151.76. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,611,950 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,595,269. The firm has a market capitalization of $67.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.74, a price-to-earnings-growth 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. Zoetis Inc. has a 52-week low of $144.80 and a 52-week high of $200.33. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $165.71 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $173.26.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.40 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.37 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $2.32 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. Zoetis had a net margin of 26.86% and a return on equity of 53.82%. Research analysts expect that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 EPS for the current year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.32%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. Zoetis's payout ratio is 36.56%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on ZTS shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Zoetis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Barclays increased their price target on Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. UBS Group assumed coverage on Zoetis in a report on Monday, December 9th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $196.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $215.90.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,781 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,682,770. This represents a 2.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 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 transaction of $201,029.40. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 11,245 shares in the company, valued at $1,868,244.30. This trade represents a 9.71 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 1,862 shares of company stock worth $312,254. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.