GeoWealth Management LLC Increases Stock Position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

GeoWealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 7.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,838 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 402 shares during the period. GeoWealth Management LLC’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $951,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC increased 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. boosted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp acquired a new position in shares of Zoetis in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Asset Planning Inc purchased a new position in shares of Zoetis during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $58,000. Finally, Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd acquired a new stake in Zoetis during the fourth quarter worth approximately $59,000. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Zoetis

In other Zoetis news, Director Willie M. Reed sold 1,210 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 11,245 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,868,244.30. The trade was a 9.71 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 15,781 shares in the company, valued at $2,682,770. This represents a 2.02 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 1,862 shares of company stock valued at $312,254. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Zoetis Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE ZTS opened at $148.64 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $66.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.92. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $160.04 and its 200 day simple moving average is $169.80. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. Zoetis Inc. has a 12-month low of $139.70 and a 12-month high of $200.33.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. Zoetis had a net margin of 26.86% and a return on equity of 53.82%. The business had revenue of $2.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.30 billion. Equities research analysts expect that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 EPS for the current year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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 1.35%. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.56%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ZTS has been the subject of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. Barclays raised their price target on Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Zoetis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of Zoetis from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Zoetis from $180.00 to $165.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Zoetis currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $214.40.

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.