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

Howland Capital Management LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 7.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,509 shares of the company’s stock after selling 288 shares during the quarter. Howland Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $594,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in ZTS. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Zoetis by 222.5% during the fourth quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 129 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Webster Bank N. A. lifted its position in shares of Zoetis by 89.1% during the first quarter. Webster Bank N. A. now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky lifted its position in shares of Zoetis by 371.4% during the fourth quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky now owns 165 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Private Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new stake in Zoetis in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Gladius Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Zoetis in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Zoetis

In other Zoetis news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 923 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.17, for a total value of $139,529.91. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 14,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,237,316. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis Trading Up 2.4 %

Shares of ZTS stock opened at $177.74 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $172.13 and a 200 day moving average price of $177.49. Zoetis Inc. has a twelve month low of $144.80 and a twelve month high of $201.92. The company has a market capitalization of $81.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.25, a PEG ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a current ratio of 3.33, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The company reported $1.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $2.19 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.14 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.31 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.432 per share. This represents a $1.73 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.97%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 18th. Zoetis’s payout ratio is currently 33.33%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ZTS has been the topic of several analyst reports. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Zoetis from $260.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on shares of Zoetis from $223.00 to $196.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 6th. HSBC lowered their target price on shares of Zoetis from $230.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 30th. Finally, Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $195.00 price objective (down from $220.00) on shares of Zoetis in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, Zoetis currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $211.75.

Zoetis Company 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.