Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co Raises Position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co boosted its holdings in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 31.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 83,000 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 20,000 shares during the period. Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $13,523,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new stake in Zoetis during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,559,000. Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Zoetis in the 4th quarter worth approximately $59,000. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Zoetis in the 4th quarter valued at $56,032,000. Wealth Advisors of Tampa Bay LLC bought a new position in shares of Zoetis during the 4th quarter valued at $1,587,000. Finally, Prudential PLC increased its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 12.1% in the fourth quarter. Prudential PLC now owns 151,546 shares of the company’s stock worth $24,691,000 after buying an additional 16,327 shares during the period. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Zoetis Price Performance

ZTS opened at $151.76 on Friday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $165.71 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $173.58. Zoetis Inc. has a 52-week low of $144.80 and a 52-week high of $200.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $67.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a current ratio of 1.75.

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

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared 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 is Monday, April 21st. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.32%. Zoetis’s payout ratio is presently 36.56%.

Insider Transactions at Zoetis

In other Zoetis news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $55,420.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 15,781 shares in the company, valued at $2,682,770. The trade was a 2.02 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Willie M. Reed sold 1,210 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $166.14, for a total transaction of $201,029.40. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,245 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,868,244.30. This trade represents a 9.71 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 1,862 shares of company stock valued at $312,254 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on ZTS. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. StockNews.com upgraded Zoetis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. UBS Group began coverage on shares of Zoetis in a report on Monday, December 9th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $215.90.

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.