Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund Has $2.56 Million Stock Holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund trimmed its position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 7.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 15,151 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,205 shares during the quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $2,564,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ZTS. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 222.5% during the 4th 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. Independence Bank of Kentucky grew its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 371.4% during the 4th 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 shares of Zoetis during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Webster Bank N. A. grew its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 89.1% during the 1st 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. Finally, Gladius Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the 4th quarter worth $40,000. 92.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on Zoetis from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on Zoetis from $223.00 to $196.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 6th. BTIG Research began coverage on Zoetis in a research report on Thursday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $220.00 target price for the company. Barclays dropped their target price on Zoetis from $260.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Finally, HSBC dropped their target price on Zoetis from $230.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Zoetis presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $212.67.

Zoetis Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of ZTS traded down $0.92 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $179.84. 2,437,326 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,885,429. Zoetis Inc. has a 52 week low of $144.80 and a 52 week high of $201.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a current ratio of 3.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $82.06 billion, a PE ratio of 34.65, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.86. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $174.51 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $176.16.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The company reported $1.38 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.34 by $0.04. Zoetis had a return on equity of 50.34% and a net margin of 27.38%. The business had revenue of $2.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.14 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.31 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 18th will be given a dividend of $0.432 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 18th. This represents a $1.73 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.96%. Zoetis’s payout ratio is 33.33%.

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.