Aquatic Capital Management LLC Acquires New Stake in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Aquatic Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 15,669 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,553,000.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Zoetis by 482.8% during the 4th quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 169 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares during the period. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its holdings in Zoetis by 5,533.3% during the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 169 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the period. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp bought a new stake in Zoetis during the 4th quarter valued at $44,000. Asset Planning Inc bought a new stake in Zoetis during the 4th quarter valued at $58,000. Finally, Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd bought a new stake in Zoetis during the 4th quarter valued at $59,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.80% of the company's stock.

Zoetis Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:ZTS opened at $153.78 on Tuesday. Zoetis Inc. has a 52-week low of $139.70 and a 52-week high of $200.33. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $158.84 and a 200 day moving average of $168.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $68.61 billion, a PE ratio of 28.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a current ratio of 1.75.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $0.03. Zoetis had a net margin of 26.86% and a return on equity of 53.82%. The business had revenue of $2.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.30 billion. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 21st. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.30%. Zoetis's payout ratio is 36.56%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on ZTS shares. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on shares of Zoetis from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Zoetis from $180.00 to $165.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Zoetis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $214.40.

Insider Buying and Selling at Zoetis

In other news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.18, for a total transaction of $55,804.68. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,107 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,757,196.26. This represents a 1.98 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Willie M. Reed sold 1,210 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.14, for a total transaction of $201,029.40. Following the sale, the director now owns 11,245 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,868,244.30. This represents a 9.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 1,862 shares of company stock worth $312,254 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

About Zoetis

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.

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