GAMMA Investing LLC Takes Position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new stake in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 5,192 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $975,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of ZTS. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its position in Zoetis by 25.1% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,726 shares of the company’s stock worth $302,000 after acquiring an additional 346 shares during the period. Capital Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in Zoetis by 38.1% during the third quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,263 shares of the company’s stock worth $394,000 after acquiring an additional 624 shares during the period. Montecito Bank & Trust increased its position in Zoetis by 30.9% during the third quarter. Montecito Bank & Trust now owns 2,943 shares of the company’s stock worth $512,000 after acquiring an additional 694 shares during the period. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC bought a new position in Zoetis during the third quarter worth $214,000. Finally, DAVENPORT & Co LLC increased its position in Zoetis by 1.2% during the third quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 47,327 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,234,000 after acquiring an additional 558 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 923 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.17, for a total transaction of $139,529.91. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,237,316. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In the last three months, insiders sold 2,209 shares of company stock valued at $371,293. 0.15% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Zoetis Trading Up 2.8 %

Shares of ZTS stock traded up $4.02 on Tuesday, reaching $149.56. The company had a trading volume of 4,072,345 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,065,285. The company has a current ratio of 3.36, a quick ratio of 2.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. The stock has a market cap of $68.40 billion, a PE ratio of 29.35, a PEG ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a 50-day moving average of $174.45 and a 200-day moving average of $179.97. Zoetis Inc. has a 12 month low of $144.80 and a 12 month high of $201.92.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $1.24 EPS 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 the consensus estimate of $2.19 billion. Zoetis had a net margin of 27.43% and a return on equity of 51.25%. The business’s revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.15 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Investors 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.16%. Zoetis’s payout ratio is 34.12%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on ZTS shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Zoetis from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Zoetis from $215.00 to $195.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. 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 research note on Tuesday. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $195.00 price target (down previously from $220.00) on shares of Zoetis in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Zoetis from $190.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $218.00.

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.