SFE Investment Counsel Boosts Stock Position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

SFE Investment Counsel grew its stake in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 0.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 15,013 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. SFE Investment Counsel’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $2,963,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in shares of Zoetis by 2.5% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 12,344,692 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,147,730,000 after acquiring an additional 297,044 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley raised its position in shares of Zoetis by 34.6% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 10,872,704 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,593,395,000 after buying an additional 2,796,694 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Zoetis by 0.3% in the first quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 9,739,370 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,617,464,000 after buying an additional 27,097 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in shares of Zoetis by 3.3% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,143,258 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,068,804,000 after buying an additional 196,771 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Zoetis in the fourth quarter worth $745,861,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:ZTS traded up $1.00 on Thursday, reaching $152.51. 3,453,027 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,970,040. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $177.35 and its 200 day simple moving average is $180.39. Zoetis Inc. has a 52 week low of $148.48 and a 52 week high of $201.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $69.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a current ratio of 3.36, a quick ratio of 2.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $1.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by ($0.08). The company had revenue of $2.21 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.19 billion. Zoetis had a net margin of 27.43% and a return on equity of 51.25%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.15 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Investors of record on Friday, April 19th will be paid a $0.432 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 18th. This represents a $1.73 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.13%. Zoetis’s payout ratio is presently 34.12%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 923 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.33, for a total value of $159,983.59. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,723 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,725,267.59. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.12% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ZTS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded Zoetis from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Barclays increased their price objective on Zoetis from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Zoetis from $190.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and set a $195.00 price target (down previously from $220.00) on shares of Zoetis in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Zoetis from $215.00 to $195.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $221.75.

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.