76,510 Shares in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) Acquired by Vantage Investment Partners LLC

Vantage Investment Partners LLC acquired a new position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 76,510 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,597,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in ZTS. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 5,533.3% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 169 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Navigoe LLC purchased a new position in shares of Zoetis in the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp bought a new stake in Zoetis during the 4th quarter worth approximately $44,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its stake in Zoetis by 141.4% during the 1st quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 280 shares of the company's stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 164 shares during the period. Finally, Bfsg LLC raised its stake in Zoetis by 614.6% during the 1st quarter. Bfsg LLC now owns 293 shares of the company's stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 252 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.80% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 652 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $110,840.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 15,129 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,571,930. The trade was a 4.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on ZTS. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Zoetis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Zoetis from $189.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Piper Sandler raised their target price on shares of Zoetis from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut shares of Zoetis from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $165.00 to $160.00 in a research note on Wednesday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $212.13.

Zoetis Trading Up 1.4%

Zoetis stock opened at $157.26 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $70.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.23, a PEG ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.74 and a quick ratio of 1.04. Zoetis Inc. has a 1 year low of $139.70 and a 1 year high of $200.33. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $159.58 and its 200-day moving average price is $163.31.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $2.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.20 billion. Zoetis had a net margin of 27.12% and a return on equity of 55.48%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.38 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 18th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 18th. Zoetis's payout ratio is currently 35.91%.

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.

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