Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI Decreases Stake in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI cut its stake in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 3.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 46,075 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,486 shares during the quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $9,094,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Zoetis by 222.5% during the 4th quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 129 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Moisand Fitzgerald Tamayo LLC boosted its position in Zoetis by 105.5% in the third quarter. Moisand Fitzgerald Tamayo LLC now owns 187 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky increased its holdings in Zoetis by 371.4% in the 4th quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky now owns 165 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 130 shares during the period. Ramirez Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in Zoetis during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, First Financial Corp IN lifted its stake in Zoetis by 57.2% during the 4th quarter. First Financial Corp IN now owns 217 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the period. 92.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Zoetis

In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 923 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.33, for a total value of $159,983.59. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,723 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,725,267.59. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders have sold a total of 2,209 shares of company stock valued at $371,293 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis Price Performance

Shares of Zoetis stock opened at $158.42 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $72.45 billion, a PE ratio of 31.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.85. Zoetis Inc. has a twelve month low of $144.80 and a twelve month high of $201.92. The company has a quick ratio of 2.00, a current ratio of 3.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $171.79 and a 200 day moving average price of $179.31.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $1.24 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.32 by ($0.08). The business 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.15 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on ZTS shares. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $195.00 price objective (down previously from $220.00) on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Barclays reduced their price objective on Zoetis from $260.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Zoetis from $215.00 to $195.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. StockNews.com lowered Zoetis from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Zoetis from $190.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Zoetis has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $218.00.

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.