Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) Holdings Trimmed by First Bank & Trust

First Bank & Trust lowered its holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 7.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,680 shares of the company’s stock after selling 815 shares during the period. First Bank & Trust’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $1,638,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 222.5% during the fourth quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 129 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the period. Webster Bank N. A. raised its stake in shares of Zoetis by 89.1% in the 1st quarter. Webster Bank N. A. now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky lifted its holdings in Zoetis by 371.4% in 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 during the last quarter. Private Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new stake in Zoetis during the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Ramirez Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Zoetis in the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis Trading Down 1.8 %

NYSE:ZTS traded down $3.10 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $173.36. 4,189,580 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,374,760. The company has a market capitalization of $79.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a quick ratio of 1.94, a current ratio of 3.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30. The company’s 50 day moving average is $168.69 and its two-hundred day moving average is $178.72. Zoetis Inc. has a twelve month low of $144.80 and a twelve month high of $201.92.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The company reported $1.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.34 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $2.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.14 billion. Zoetis had a return on equity of 50.34% and a net margin of 27.38%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.31 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.432 per share. This represents a $1.73 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.00%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 18th. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.33%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on ZTS. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on Zoetis from $223.00 to $196.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 6th. HSBC cut their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $230.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Zoetis from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 30th. Barclays reduced 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. Finally, Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $195.00 target price (down from $220.00) on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $211.75.

Insider Buying and Selling at Zoetis

In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 923 shares of Zoetis stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.17, for a total transaction of $139,529.91. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,237,316. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

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.