Ewing Morris & Co. Investment Partners Ltd. Invests $1.13 Million in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Ewing Morris & Co. Investment Partners Ltd. acquired a new stake in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 6,950 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,132,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ZTS. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Zoetis by 482.8% in the 4th quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 169 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 5,533.3% during the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 169 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. Navigoe LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the 4th quarter worth $44,000. Finally, Asset Planning Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the 4th quarter worth $58,000. 92.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, 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 completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 11,245 shares in the company, valued at $1,868,244.30. This represents a 9.71% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $55,420.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,781 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,682,770. The trade was a 2.02% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 1,862 shares of company stock valued at $312,254. Insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Zoetis Stock Down 1.1%

Zoetis stock traded down $1.73 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $159.96. The stock had a trading volume of 4,243,109 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,492,973. 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 Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $139.70 and a fifty-two week high of $200.33. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $157.27 and its 200-day simple moving average is $165.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $71.37 billion, a PE ratio of 29.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.94.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.40 by $0.08. Zoetis had a return on equity of 53.82% and a net margin of 26.86%. The firm had revenue of $2.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.20 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.38 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com raised Zoetis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Piper Sandler increased their target price on Zoetis from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Zoetis from $180.00 to $165.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price objective on Zoetis from $189.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Zoetis currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $212.13.

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.