Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) Shares Sold by Russell Investments Group Ltd.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. reduced its position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 8.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 779,529 shares of the company’s stock after selling 73,400 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $153,847,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. acquired a new position in Zoetis in the third quarter valued at $176,219,000. Alphinity Investment Management Pty Ltd raised its stake in Zoetis by 214.7% during the 4th quarter. Alphinity Investment Management Pty Ltd now owns 824,148 shares of the company’s stock valued at $162,662,000 after acquiring an additional 562,259 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Zoetis by 27,671.0% in the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 479,328 shares of the company’s stock valued at $94,605,000 after purchasing an additional 477,602 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Zoetis by 34.8% during the third quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,562,044 shares of the company’s stock worth $271,764,000 after purchasing an additional 403,164 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Natixis Advisors L.P. grew its position in Zoetis by 53.9% in the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. now owns 941,219 shares of the company’s stock valued at $163,753,000 after buying an additional 329,543 shares during the last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 923 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.17, for a total transaction of $139,529.91. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,237,316. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 2,209 shares of company stock valued at $371,293. Company insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis Trading Up 3.3 %

Shares of Zoetis stock traded up $5.06 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $158.42. 5,236,463 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,019,007. The company has a fifty day moving average of $171.79 and a 200-day moving average of $179.29. The company has a current ratio of 3.36, a quick ratio of 2.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. Zoetis Inc. has a 52-week low of $144.80 and a 52-week high of $201.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $72.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.85.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $1.24 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by ($0.08). The company had revenue of $2.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.19 billion. Zoetis had a net margin of 27.43% and a return on equity of 51.25%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.15 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.432 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 18th. This represents a $1.73 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.09%. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio is currently 34.12%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ZTS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com lowered shares of Zoetis from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $195.00 price target (down from $220.00) on shares of Zoetis in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Zoetis from $215.00 to $195.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Zoetis from $190.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price target on Zoetis from $260.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $218.00.

About Zoetis

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.