Jones Financial Companies Lllp Boosts Stake in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 28.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 99,422 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 21,977 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp's holdings in Zoetis were worth $16,199,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Howard Capital Management Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 104,866 shares of the company's stock worth $20,489,000 after purchasing an additional 883 shares in the last quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Zoetis by 11.8% in the third quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 2,518 shares of the company's stock valued at $476,000 after buying an additional 265 shares in the last quarter. F M Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Zoetis during the third quarter valued at about $288,000. Argonautica Private Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Zoetis during the third quarter valued at about $506,000. Finally, Optas LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Zoetis in the 3rd quarter worth about $201,000. 92.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Zoetis

In other news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of Zoetis stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.18, for a total value of $55,804.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,107 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,757,196.26. The trade was a 1.98 % 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 the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Zoetis Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ZTS traded down $2.94 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $166.96. The company had a trading volume of 3,667,422 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,280,360. Zoetis Inc. has a one year low of $144.80 and a one year high of $200.33. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The company's 50-day moving average price is $166.53 and its 200-day moving average price is $177.06. The firm has a market cap of $74.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.52, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.94.

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

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced 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 1.20%. Zoetis's dividend payout ratio is presently 36.56%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on ZTS shares. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Leerink Partners assumed coverage on Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. They set an "outperform" rating and a $215.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Zoetis from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $215.90.

Zoetis Company 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.