Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) Holdings Boosted by Cantillon Capital Management LLC

Cantillon Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 0.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,293,251 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,920 shares during the period. Cantillon Capital Management LLC owned 0.29% of Zoetis worth $210,709,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Zoetis by 482.8% during the 4th quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 169 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Zoetis during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new position in Zoetis during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in Zoetis during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC grew its position in Zoetis by 80.6% during the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 168 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ZTS has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Leerink Partnrs upgraded shares of Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 2nd. UBS Group began coverage on shares of Zoetis in a report on Monday, December 9th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 price target on the stock. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Zoetis from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $215.90.

Zoetis Trading Up 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE:ZTS opened at $167.58 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $75.04 billion, a PE ratio of 30.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.90. Zoetis Inc. has a 1 year low of $144.80 and a 1 year high of $200.53. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $166.30 and a 200 day moving average price of $177.30. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $2.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.30 billion. Zoetis had a net margin of 26.86% and a return on equity of 53.82%. Analysts expect that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.19%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio is 36.56%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Zoetis news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.18, for a total transaction of $55,804.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 16,107 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,757,196.26. The trade was a 1.98 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

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.