Peterson Wealth Services Boosts Stock Position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Peterson Wealth Services boosted its holdings in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 0.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,831 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the quarter. Zoetis accounts for 1.3% of Peterson Wealth Services’ portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Peterson Wealth Services’ holdings in Zoetis were worth $3,124,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt boosted its holdings in Zoetis by 89.7% during the 4th quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt now owns 719 shares of the company’s stock valued at $142,000 after acquiring an additional 340 shares during the period. United Super Pty Ltd in its capacity as Trustee for the Construction & Building Unions Superannuation Fund raised its position in Zoetis by 19.0% during the 4th quarter. United Super Pty Ltd in its capacity as Trustee for the Construction & Building Unions Superannuation Fund now owns 180,637 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,652,000 after purchasing an additional 28,839 shares in the last quarter. Oakworth Capital Inc. raised its position in Zoetis by 345.3% during the 4th quarter. Oakworth Capital Inc. now owns 6,488 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,281,000 after purchasing an additional 5,031 shares in the last quarter. Telos Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Zoetis by 16.5% during the 4th quarter. Telos Capital Management Inc. now owns 34,639 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,837,000 after purchasing an additional 4,899 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Goodman Advisory Group LLC raised its position in Zoetis by 8.6% during the 4th quarter. Goodman Advisory Group LLC now owns 6,765 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,335,000 after purchasing an additional 538 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis Stock Up 0.5 %

NYSE:ZTS traded up $0.80 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $152.31. 869,783 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,932,597. The company has a fifty day moving average of $177.35 and a 200 day moving average of $180.39. Zoetis Inc. has a twelve month low of $148.48 and a twelve month high of $201.92. The company has a market capitalization of $69.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.34 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 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 business had revenue of $2.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.19 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.15 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.79 EPS for the current 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 given a dividend of $0.432 per share. This represents a $1.73 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.13%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 18th. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio is currently 34.12%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. StockNews.com lowered Zoetis from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $195.00 target price (down from $220.00) on shares of Zoetis in a research report on Tuesday. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on Zoetis from $215.00 to $195.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Barclays boosted their price target on Zoetis from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. Finally, 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 research report on Wednesday, January 17th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, Zoetis currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $221.75.

Insider Activity at Zoetis

In other Zoetis news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 923 shares of the business’s 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 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 can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.