Sterling Investment Advisors Ltd. Takes $297,000 Position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Sterling Investment Advisors Ltd. purchased a new stake in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 1,822 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $297,000.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of ZTS. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Zoetis by 482.8% in the 4th quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 169 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Zoetis in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new position in shares of Zoetis in the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in shares of Zoetis in the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its stake in shares of Zoetis by 80.6% in the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 168 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis Trading Up 3.1 %

ZTS opened at $165.51 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $74.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.90. Zoetis Inc. has a 52 week low of $144.80 and a 52 week high of $200.53. The business’s 50 day moving average is $166.30 and its two-hundred day moving average is $177.78. The company has a quick ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.40 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $2.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.30 billion. Zoetis had a return on equity of 53.82% and a net margin of 26.86%. On average, research analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 EPS for the current year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 21st. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.21%. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.56%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Zoetis

In other Zoetis news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of Zoetis stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.18, for a total value of $55,804.68. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,107 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,757,196.26. This trade represents a 1.98 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on ZTS shares. Leerink Partnrs raised Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Leerink Partners initiated coverage on Zoetis in a report on Monday, December 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 price target on the stock. Piper Sandler cut their price target on Zoetis from $210.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $215.40.

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.