Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) Shares Acquired by Sandhill Capital Partners LLC

Sandhill Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 2.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 132,606 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,666 shares during the quarter. Zoetis comprises 2.2% of Sandhill Capital Partners LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. Sandhill Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $26,173,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of ZTS. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. acquired a new position in Zoetis during the third quarter worth about $176,219,000. Alphinity Investment Management Pty Ltd raised its stake in Zoetis by 214.7% during the fourth quarter. Alphinity Investment Management Pty Ltd now owns 824,148 shares of the company’s stock worth $162,662,000 after purchasing an additional 562,259 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Zoetis by 27,671.0% during the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 479,328 shares of the company’s stock worth $94,605,000 after purchasing an additional 477,602 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in Zoetis by 34.8% during the third quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,562,044 shares of the company’s stock worth $271,764,000 after purchasing an additional 403,164 shares during the period. Finally, Natixis Advisors L.P. raised its stake in Zoetis by 53.9% during the third quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. now owns 941,219 shares of the company’s stock worth $163,753,000 after purchasing an additional 329,543 shares during the period. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on ZTS. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $195.00 target price (down from $220.00) on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Zoetis from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Zoetis from $260.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Zoetis from $190.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of Zoetis from $215.00 to $195.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, Zoetis has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $218.00.

Zoetis Stock Up 1.6 %

ZTS traded up $2.48 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $153.36. 4,555,033 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,093,786. Zoetis Inc. has a 12-month low of $144.80 and a 12-month high of $201.92. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $173.11 and a 200 day moving average of $179.58. The firm has a market cap of $70.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.29 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 issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $1.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.32 by ($0.08). Zoetis had a net margin of 27.43% and a return on equity of 51.25%. The company had revenue of $2.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.15 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 19th will be issued a $0.432 dividend. This represents a $1.73 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.13%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 18th. Zoetis’s payout ratio is 33.93%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 923 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.17, for a total value of $139,529.91. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 14,800 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,237,316. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. In the last quarter, insiders sold 2,209 shares of company stock worth $371,293. Corporate insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

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.