O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 4.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 87,252 shares of the company's stock after selling 4,229 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC's holdings in Zoetis were worth $14,216,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Dunhill Financial LLC increased its stake in Zoetis by 80.6% in the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 168 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Zoetis by 482.8% in the fourth quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 169 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its position in shares of Zoetis by 5,533.3% during the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 169 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Zoetis in the 4th quarter valued at about $44,000. Finally, Quarry LP grew its stake in Zoetis by 45.9% during the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 305 shares of the company's stock worth $60,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.80% of the company's stock.

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Zoetis Price Performance

Shares of Zoetis stock traded down $3.61 during trading on Thursday, hitting $159.89. 2,243,293 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,598,407. Zoetis Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $144.80 and a fifty-two week high of $200.33. The company has a quick ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $166.20 and a 200 day moving average price of $173.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $71.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.94.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 analysts' expectations of $2.30 billion. Zoetis had a return on equity of 53.82% and a net margin of 26.86%. On average, equities analysts expect that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.25%. Zoetis's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.56%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on ZTS. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. UBS Group assumed coverage on Zoetis in a research report on Monday, December 9th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $196.00 price target on the stock. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on Zoetis from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Morgan Stanley reduced 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. Finally, StockNews.com raised Zoetis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. One equities research 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, Zoetis has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $215.90.

Insider Transactions at Zoetis

In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $55,420.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 15,781 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,682,770. This trade represents a 2.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Willie M. Reed sold 1,210 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the director now owns 11,245 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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 over the last ninety days. 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.