Herold Advisors Inc. Trims Stake in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Herold Advisors Inc. reduced its position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 1.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 14,736 shares of the company’s stock after selling 240 shares during the period. Herold Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $2,908,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC raised 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 acquiring an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky raised its stake in Zoetis by 371.4% during the 4th 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. Moisand Fitzgerald Tamayo LLC raised 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 during the last quarter. Ramirez Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Zoetis during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, First Financial Corp IN raised 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 last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Zoetis Stock Up 3.3 %

Shares of NYSE ZTS opened at $158.42 on Friday. Zoetis Inc. has a 12-month low of $144.80 and a 12-month high of $201.92. The company has a market cap of $72.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.34 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 stock has a fifty day moving average price of $171.79 and a 200 day moving average price of $179.29.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 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 in the prior year, the company posted $1.15 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 363 shares of Zoetis stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $197.74, for a total value of $71,779.62. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 20,417 shares in the company, valued at $4,037,257.58. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders sold 2,209 shares of company stock worth $371,293 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ZTS has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Zoetis from $190.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $195.00 target price (down previously from $220.00) on shares of Zoetis in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. StockNews.com cut Zoetis from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Barclays dropped their target price on Zoetis from $260.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Zoetis from $215.00 to $195.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price 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.