Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) Shares Acquired by First Trust Direct Indexing L.P.

First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 7.6% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 14,911 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,057 shares during the period. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P.’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $2,943,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Zoetis by 222.5% during the fourth quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 129 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the period. Independence Bank of Kentucky increased its stake in shares of Zoetis by 371.4% during the fourth quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky now owns 165 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 130 shares during the period. Ramirez Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the third quarter worth approximately $35,000. First Financial Corp IN increased its stake in shares of Zoetis by 57.2% during the fourth quarter. First Financial Corp IN now owns 217 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the period. Finally, FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Zoetis by 42.1% during the third quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC now owns 260 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 77 shares during the period. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Zoetis Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ZTS traded down $0.71 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $158.53. 3,779,078 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,154,951. The stock has a market cap of $72.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.28, a PEG ratio of 2.44 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 Inc. has a twelve month low of $144.80 and a twelve month high of $201.92. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $170.66 and a 200-day moving average price of $179.12.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $1.24 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 analysts’ expectations of $2.19 billion. Zoetis had a return on equity of 51.25% and a net margin of 27.43%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.15 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.78 earnings per share for the current year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on ZTS shares. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on shares of Zoetis from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. 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. StockNews.com lowered shares of Zoetis from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Zoetis from $260.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Zoetis from $190.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Zoetis currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $216.13.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 923 shares of Zoetis stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.33, for a total transaction of $159,983.59. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 15,723 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,725,267.59. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In the last quarter, insiders sold 2,209 shares of company stock worth $371,293. 0.16% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.