Sarasin & Partners LLP Invests $339.11 Million in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Sarasin & Partners LLP purchased a new position in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 2,059,588 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $339,111,000. Zoetis makes up 3.3% of Sarasin & Partners LLP's portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. Sarasin & Partners LLP owned about 0.46% of Zoetis at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Zoetis by 482.8% in the fourth quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 169 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the period. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its stake in Zoetis by 5,533.3% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 169 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the period. Navigoe LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Zoetis in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Zoetis in the fourth quarter valued at about $44,000. Finally, Asset Planning Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Zoetis in the fourth quarter valued at about $58,000. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Zoetis news, Director Willie M. Reed sold 1,210 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $166.14, for a total transaction of $201,029.40. Following the transaction, the director now owns 11,245 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,868,244.30. This trade represents a 9.71% 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, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 652 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $110,840.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,129 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,571,930. This represents a 4.13% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 2,188 shares of company stock valued at $367,289 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on ZTS shares. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price 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. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $189.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $212.75.

Zoetis Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:ZTS traded up $0.01 during trading on Thursday, reaching $168.60. The stock had a trading volume of 1,211,027 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,533,479. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $157.16 and a 200-day moving average price of $164.46. The company has a quick ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The stock has a market cap of $75.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.82, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.94. Zoetis Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $139.70 and a fifty-two week high of $200.33.

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

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 18th. Zoetis's dividend payout ratio is currently 35.91%.

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.