Paradigm Financial Partners LLC Purchases 304 Shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Paradigm Financial Partners LLC grew its position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 2.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 14,806 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 304 shares during the period. Paradigm Financial Partners LLC’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $2,922,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 2.5% during the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased 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 purchasing an additional 196,771 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in shares of Zoetis by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 3,998,989 shares of the company’s stock valued at $695,744,000 after buying an additional 150,918 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in Zoetis by 3.1% during the third quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 3,026,518 shares of the company’s stock valued at $526,553,000 after purchasing an additional 91,713 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blair William & Co. IL lifted its stake in Zoetis by 1.4% during the third quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 2,428,509 shares of the company’s stock worth $422,512,000 after purchasing an additional 32,918 shares during the last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on ZTS shares. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Zoetis from $190.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Zoetis from $260.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 23rd. StockNews.com lowered shares of Zoetis from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price 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. Finally, Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $195.00 price target (down from $220.00) on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $218.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 923 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 owns 15,723 shares in the company, valued at $2,725,267.59. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 2,209 shares of company stock valued at $371,293. Company insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis Stock Performance

ZTS traded up $5.06 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $158.42. The company had a trading volume of 5,236,463 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,019,007. Zoetis Inc. has a 12-month low of $144.80 and a 12-month high of $201.92. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $171.79 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $179.31. The stock has a market cap of $72.45 billion, a PE ratio of 31.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 2.00 and a current ratio of 3.36.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $1.24 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $2.21 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.19 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.15 earnings per share. Zoetis’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Investors of record on Friday, April 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.432 per share. This represents a $1.73 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.09%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 18th. Zoetis’s payout ratio is currently 34.12%.

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.