TCW Group Inc. Decreases Holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

TCW Group Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 9.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 573,051 shares of the company’s stock after selling 58,544 shares during the period. TCW Group Inc. owned 0.13% of Zoetis worth $93,367,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Zoetis during the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new stake in Zoetis during the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in Zoetis during the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its holdings in Zoetis by 80.6% during the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 168 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Zoetis by 482.8% during the 4th 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 during the last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Zoetis Stock Up 1.9 %

ZTS opened at $160.39 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $166.51 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $177.99. 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 company has a market cap of $71.82 billion, a PE ratio of 29.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.90. Zoetis Inc. has a 52 week low of $144.80 and a 52 week high of $200.53.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.40 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $2.32 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. Zoetis had a return on equity of 53.82% and a net margin of 26.86%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 EPS for the current 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. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.25%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. Zoetis’s payout ratio is 36.56%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Zoetis news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.18, for a total transaction of $55,804.68. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 16,107 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,757,196.26. The trade was a 1.98 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on ZTS shares. Leerink Partners started coverage on Zoetis in a report on Monday, December 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 target price for the company. Barclays boosted their target price on Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. UBS Group started coverage on Zoetis in a report on Monday, December 9th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 target price for the company. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Leerink Partnrs raised Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Zoetis has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $215.40.

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.