Retirement Systems of Alabama Lowers Stock Position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Retirement Systems of Alabama trimmed its position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 2.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 101,185 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,898 shares during the quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $19,971,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes 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 purchasing an additional 89 shares during the period. Independence Bank of Kentucky raised its position in shares of Zoetis by 371.4% during the fourth quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky now owns 165 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Ramirez Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Zoetis in the third quarter worth $35,000. 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 valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 42.1% in the third quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC now owns 260 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 363 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $197.74, for a total value of $71,779.62. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 20,417 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,037,257.58. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders sold 2,209 shares of company stock worth $371,293 in the last three months. 0.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Zoetis Stock Up 0.9 %

NYSE:ZTS opened at $159.78 on Tuesday. 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 Inc. has a 1-year low of $144.80 and a 1-year high of $201.92. The company has a 50-day moving average of $171.21 and a 200 day moving average of $179.23. The firm has a market cap of $73.08 billion, a PE ratio of 31.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.85.

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

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 19th will be given a $0.432 dividend. This represents a $1.73 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.08%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 18th. Zoetis’s payout ratio is 34.12%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on ZTS. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $195.00 price target (down previously from $220.00) on shares of Zoetis in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Zoetis from $260.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group raised 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. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of Zoetis from $215.00 to $195.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Zoetis from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $218.00.

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.