Forsta AP Fonden Purchases 7,500 Shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Forsta AP Fonden increased its position in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 5.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 147,300 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,500 shares during the quarter. Forsta AP Fonden’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $28,779,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Webster Bank N. A. raised its stake in shares of Zoetis by 89.1% during the 1st quarter. Webster Bank N. A. now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP increased its stake in Zoetis by 273.2% during the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 209 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC acquired a new position in Zoetis during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Central Valley Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Zoetis during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Finally, EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new position in Zoetis during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $56,000. Institutional investors own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis Stock Performance

NYSE ZTS traded down $1.49 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $180.01. 2,623,220 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,517,962. The business’s 50 day moving average is $189.18 and its 200-day moving average is $177.61. Zoetis Inc. has a 1 year low of $144.80 and a 1 year high of $201.92. The company has a market capitalization of $82.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 2.09 and a current ratio of 3.45.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The company reported $1.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $2.36 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.31 billion. Zoetis had a net margin of 26.29% and a return on equity of 50.67%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.41 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.432 per share. This represents a $1.73 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 31st. Zoetis’s payout ratio is 33.14%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Zoetis from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Argus upgraded shares of Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Zoetis from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 11th. BTIG Research upped their price target on shares of Zoetis from $220.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $195.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $221.44.

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.