Aviva PLC Sells 52,451 Shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Aviva PLC decreased its position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 8.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 538,745 shares of the company's stock after selling 52,451 shares during the quarter. Aviva PLC owned about 0.12% of Zoetis worth $87,778,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Dunhill Financial LLC grew 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 worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Zoetis by 482.8% during the fourth quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 169 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its stake in Zoetis by 5,533.3% during the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 169 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the period. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp acquired a new position in Zoetis in the 4th quarter valued at $44,000. Finally, Quarry LP lifted its position in shares of Zoetis by 45.9% during the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 305 shares of the company's stock valued at $60,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 92.80% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Zoetis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Barclays upped 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. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $215.90.

Insider Activity

In other Zoetis news, Director Willie M. Reed sold 1,210 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $166.14, for a total transaction 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 represents a 9.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of Zoetis stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The stock was 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,682,770. This trade represents a 2.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 1,862 shares of company stock valued at $312,254. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Zoetis Trading Down 5.2 %

Zoetis stock traded down $8.06 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $145.49. The stock had a trading volume of 1,886,864 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,615,944. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $163.46 and its 200-day simple moving average is $172.01. Zoetis Inc. has a one year low of $139.70 and a one year high of $200.33. The stock has a market cap of $65.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.62, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a quick ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09.

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

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 21st. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.37%. Zoetis's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.56%.

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.