Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) Shares Acquired by Verdence Capital Advisors LLC

Verdence Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 2.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,873 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $567,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. River Street Advisors LLC increased its stake in Zoetis by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. River Street Advisors LLC now owns 1,757 shares of the company’s stock valued at $347,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Zoetis by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 23,581 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,654,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. increased its holdings in Zoetis by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. now owns 1,918 shares of the company’s stock valued at $334,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in Zoetis by 5.0% during the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,281 shares of the company’s stock worth $253,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Townsend Asset Management Corp NC ADV lifted its stake in Zoetis by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Townsend Asset Management Corp NC ADV now owns 22,585 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,929,000 after buying an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ZTS has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com lowered shares of Zoetis from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Zoetis from $215.00 to $195.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Barclays upped their target price on Zoetis from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. 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. Finally, Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $195.00 price objective (down previously from $220.00) on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $221.75.

Insider Buying and Selling at Zoetis

In other news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 923 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 18th. The stock was 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 $2,725,267.59. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders have sold 2,209 shares of company stock valued at $371,293 over the last three months. 0.15% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Zoetis Stock Performance

NYSE ZTS opened at $145.54 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $174.45 and its 200-day simple moving average is $179.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $66.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 0.85. Zoetis Inc. has a 1-year low of $144.80 and a 1-year high of $201.92. 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 announced 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 business had revenue of $2.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.19 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.15 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.79 EPS for the current year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Investors of record on Friday, April 19th will be issued a $0.432 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 18th. This represents a $1.73 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.19%. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio is currently 34.12%.

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.