Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) Shares Sold by Alaska Permanent Fund Corp

Alaska Permanent Fund Corp lowered its stake in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 44.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 20,255 shares of the company’s stock after selling 16,322 shares during the quarter. Alaska Permanent Fund Corp’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $3,998,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Zoetis by 222.5% in the 4th quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 129 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the period. Moisand Fitzgerald Tamayo LLC boosted its position in shares of Zoetis by 105.5% during the 3rd quarter. Moisand Fitzgerald Tamayo LLC now owns 187 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky boosted its position in shares of Zoetis by 371.4% during 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 during the 3rd quarter worth $35,000. Finally, First Financial Corp IN boosted its position in shares of Zoetis by 57.2% during the 4th quarter. First Financial Corp IN now owns 217 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Zoetis news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 363 shares of Zoetis stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $197.74, for a total value of $71,779.62. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 20,417 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,037,257.58. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 2,209 shares of company stock worth $371,293. 0.15% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ZTS has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of Zoetis from $215.00 to $195.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $195.00 target price (down previously from $220.00) on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Zoetis from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. 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 research note on Tuesday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $190.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $218.00.

Zoetis Stock Performance

NYSE ZTS traded up $1.32 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $150.88. The company had a trading volume of 3,574,915 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,074,312. Zoetis Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $144.80 and a fifty-two week 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 fifty day simple moving average of $173.78 and a 200-day simple moving average of $179.78. The firm has a market cap of $69.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.85.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last released 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). Zoetis had a net margin of 27.43% and a return on equity of 51.25%. The company had revenue of $2.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.19 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.15 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.79 EPS for the current 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 given 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 1.15%. Zoetis’s payout ratio is presently 34.12%.

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.