Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) Shares Sold by Sapient Capital LLC

Sapient Capital LLC reduced its stake in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 65.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,658 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,201 shares during the quarter. Sapient Capital LLC’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $270,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ZTS. Cherry Creek Investment Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Zoetis by 2.0% during the third quarter. Cherry Creek Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 3,021 shares of the company’s stock worth $590,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. Hancock Whitney Corp increased its stake in Zoetis by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 18,569 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,628,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the period. Strategy Asset Managers LLC lifted its holdings in Zoetis by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Strategy Asset Managers LLC now owns 1,822 shares of the company’s stock worth $356,000 after buying an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC boosted its position in Zoetis by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 4,712 shares of the company’s stock valued at $768,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the period. Finally, Aberdeen Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Zoetis by 1.9% in the third quarter. Aberdeen Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,566 shares of the company’s stock worth $697,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis Trading Down 0.2 %

NYSE ZTS opened at $173.99 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $169.11 and its 200 day moving average price is $179.11. Zoetis Inc. has a 12 month low of $144.80 and a 12 month high of $200.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 3.69 and a quick ratio of 2.27. The company has a market capitalization of $78.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.90.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.15%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. Zoetis’s payout ratio is 37.59%.

Insider Transactions at Zoetis

In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.18, for a total transaction of $55,804.68. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 16,107 shares in the company, valued at $2,757,196.26. This trade represents a 1.98 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on ZTS. Leerink Partners began coverage on Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group started coverage on Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 9th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Zoetis from $248.00 to $243.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Leerink Partnrs upgraded shares of Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Zoetis presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $214.00.

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.