Yousif Capital Management LLC Lowers Holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Yousif Capital Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 2.6% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 72,665 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,927 shares during the period. Yousif Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $14,342,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on ZTS. Piper Sandler reissued 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. StockNews.com lowered Zoetis from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Zoetis from $215.00 to $195.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group increased 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. Finally, Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $260.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Zoetis currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $218.00.

Zoetis Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE ZTS traded up $1.52 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $151.08. The company had a trading volume of 2,691,483 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,060,871. Zoetis Inc. has a 52-week low of $144.80 and a 52-week high of $201.92. The stock has a market cap of $69.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.75, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.85. 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 firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $173.78 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $179.78.

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

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 19th will be issued a $0.432 dividend. This represents a $1.73 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.14%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 18th. Zoetis’s payout ratio is currently 34.12%.

Insider Transactions at Zoetis

In other news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 923 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.33, for a total value of $159,983.59. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 15,723 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,725,267.59. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders sold 2,209 shares of company stock worth $371,293 over the last 90 days. 0.15% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.