Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) Shares Sold by Louisiana State Employees Retirement System

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System trimmed its holdings in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 4.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 24,300 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,200 shares during the quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $3,959,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of ZTS. Pensionfund Sabic raised its position in shares of Zoetis by 55.6% in the 4th quarter. Pensionfund Sabic now owns 11,200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,825,000 after purchasing an additional 4,000 shares in the last quarter. PFW Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Zoetis in the fourth quarter worth $1,764,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in Zoetis by 10.6% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,916,539 shares of the company’s stock valued at $569,834,000 after acquiring an additional 279,092 shares in the last quarter. Simplify Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Zoetis during the 3rd quarter valued at $11,684,000. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB grew its holdings in Zoetis by 38.3% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,065,514 shares of the company’s stock worth $336,266,000 after acquiring an additional 572,511 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis Stock Performance

Shares of ZTS opened at $173.99 on Thursday. Zoetis Inc. has a 1 year low of $144.80 and a 1 year high of $200.53. The company has a market cap 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. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 2.27 and a current ratio of 3.69. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $169.11 and a 200-day moving average of $179.11.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

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 paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.15%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 21st. Zoetis’s payout ratio is 37.59%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Zoetis

In other news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the business’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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,107 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,757,196.26. The trade was a 1.98 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on ZTS shares. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Zoetis in a report on Monday, December 9th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 price objective for the company. Piper Sandler decreased their price target on Zoetis from $210.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Leerink Partnrs upgraded Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. Leerink Partners assumed coverage on Zoetis in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 target price for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $248.00 to $243.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Zoetis has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $214.00.

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.