BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. Has $54.61 Million Stock Holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. cut its position in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 36.7% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 322,728 shares of the company’s stock after selling 187,420 shares during the quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A.’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $54,609,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Zoetis by 222.5% during the fourth quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 129 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky boosted its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 371.4% in the 4th quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky now owns 165 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Private Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Zoetis in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Webster Bank N. A. boosted its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 89.1% in the 1st quarter. Webster Bank N. A. now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gladius Capital Management LP bought a new position in Zoetis in the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,000. 92.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Zoetis Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ZTS traded up $0.53 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $182.58. 391,249 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,855,814. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a current ratio of 3.33. The company has a market cap of $83.31 billion, a PE ratio of 35.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.86. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $173.24 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $176.92. Zoetis Inc. has a 1-year low of $144.80 and a 1-year high of $201.92.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The company reported $1.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.34 by $0.04. Zoetis had a net margin of 27.38% and a return on equity of 50.34%. The business had revenue of $2.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.14 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.31 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.76 EPS for the current year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 18th will be paid a $0.432 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 18th. This represents a $1.73 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.95%. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio is 33.33%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ZTS has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $195.00 price objective (down previously from $220.00) on shares of Zoetis in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on shares of Zoetis from $223.00 to $196.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 6th. 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 research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Finally, HSBC reduced their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $230.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Zoetis presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $211.75.

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.