Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) Shares Sold by Montag & Caldwell LLC

Montag & Caldwell LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 36.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 101,313 shares of the company’s stock after selling 59,310 shares during the quarter. Zoetis makes up approximately 3.5% of Montag & Caldwell LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest position. Montag & Caldwell LLC’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $19,996,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in ZTS. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC raised its position 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 purchasing an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky raised its holdings in Zoetis by 371.4% during the fourth quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky now owns 165 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Ramirez Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Zoetis in the third quarter worth $35,000. First Financial Corp IN grew its position in shares of Zoetis by 57.2% in the fourth quarter. First Financial Corp IN now owns 217 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the period. Finally, FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in Zoetis by 42.1% during the third quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC now owns 260 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the period. 92.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Zoetis Stock Performance

Zoetis stock traded up $3.34 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $161.76. The company had a trading volume of 2,093,881 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,106,050. Zoetis Inc. has a one year low of $144.80 and a one year high of $201.92. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $171.79 and a 200 day moving average of $179.33. The firm has a market cap of $73.98 billion, a PE ratio of 32.17, a PEG ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 3.36 and a quick ratio of 2.00.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $1.24 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by ($0.08). Zoetis had a return on equity of 51.25% and a net margin of 27.43%. The business had revenue of $2.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.19 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.15 EPS. Zoetis’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 19th will be paid a $0.432 dividend. This represents a $1.73 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.07%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 18th. Zoetis’s payout ratio is 34.12%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Insider Activity at Zoetis

In other news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 923 shares of the company’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 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 through the SEC website. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 2,209 shares of company stock worth $371,293. 0.16% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.