EP Wealth Advisors LLC Purchases 5,990 Shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

EP Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 3.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 204,870 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,990 shares during the period. EP Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $40,435,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in ZTS. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Zoetis by 222.5% in the fourth quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 129 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky boosted its holdings in Zoetis by 371.4% in the fourth quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky now owns 165 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Private Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new stake in Zoetis in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Ramirez Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Zoetis in the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Gladius Capital Management LP bought a new stake in Zoetis in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Zoetis

In other Zoetis news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 923 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,800 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,237,316. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Zoetis from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on Zoetis from $223.00 to $196.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 6th. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $195.00 price target (down from $220.00) on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Barclays dropped their price target on Zoetis from $260.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. Finally, HSBC dropped their price target on Zoetis from $230.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $211.75.

Zoetis Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of ZTS traded down $0.77 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $170.55. The stock had a trading volume of 2,225,314 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,110,836. Zoetis Inc. has a 12 month low of $144.80 and a 12 month high of $201.92. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $165.75 and a 200 day simple moving average of $179.51. The company has a current ratio of 3.33, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30. The company has a market capitalization of $77.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.88.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The company reported $1.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.34 by $0.04. Zoetis had a return on equity of 50.34% and a net margin of 27.38%. The company had revenue of $2.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.14 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.31 EPS. Zoetis’s quarterly revenue was up 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.432 per share. This represents a $1.73 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.01%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 18th. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.33%.

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.