Waverton Investment Management Ltd Has $54.71 Million Holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Waverton Investment Management Ltd increased its holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 7.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 335,536 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 22,637 shares during the quarter. Zoetis makes up 0.9% of Waverton Investment Management Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. Waverton Investment Management Ltd owned approximately 0.07% of Zoetis worth $54,707,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of ZTS. AMF Tjanstepension AB raised its position in shares of Zoetis by 23.4% during the third quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 105,376 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,594,000 after acquiring an additional 20,001 shares during the last quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC increased its position in Zoetis by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 104,866 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,489,000 after purchasing an additional 883 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its holdings in Zoetis by 8.0% during the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 55,696 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,882,000 after purchasing an additional 4,107 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Zoetis by 28.6% in the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 61,653 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,011,000 after purchasing an additional 13,699 shares during the period. Finally, NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC boosted its stake in shares of Zoetis by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 23,250 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,543,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on ZTS shares. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Barclays raised their target price on Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. UBS Group assumed coverage on Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 9th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $210.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $215.40.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other 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 value 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ZTS opened at $160.39 on Monday. Zoetis Inc. has a twelve month low of $144.80 and a twelve month high of $200.53. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $166.51 and its 200-day moving average is $177.94. The company has a quick ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $71.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.32, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.90.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.40 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $2.32 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. Zoetis had a net margin of 26.86% and a return on equity of 53.82%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The business 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 dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 21st. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.25%. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.56%.

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.