Banco Santander S.A. Boosts Stock Holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Key Points

• Banco Santander S.A. increased its stake in Zoetis Inc. by 18.1%, holding 19,741 shares valued at approximately $3.25 million as of its latest SEC filing.
• Zoetis announced a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, representing an annual yield of 1.4%, with the payment date set for September 3rd.
• Despite a recent earnings report exceeding expectations, various brokerages have adjusted their price targets and ratings for Zoetis, with the consensus rating at "Moderate Buy."

Banco Santander S.A. lifted its stake in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 18.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 19,741 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 3,030 shares during the quarter. Banco Santander S.A.'s holdings in Zoetis were worth $3,250,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of ZTS. Navigoe LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its position in shares of Zoetis by 79.3% during the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 199 shares of the company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares during the period. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. increased its position in shares of Zoetis by 87.6% during the first quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 257 shares of the company's stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its position in shares of Zoetis by 141.4% during the first 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 holdings in shares of Zoetis by 614.6% in the 1st quarter. Bfsg LLC now owns 293 shares of the company's stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 252 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.80% of the company's stock.

Zoetis Stock Up 1.1%

ZTS stock opened at $147.40 on Friday. Zoetis Inc. has a one year low of $139.70 and a one year high of $200.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $65.62 billion, a PE ratio of 26.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.74. The company has a fifty day moving average of $158.51 and a 200-day moving average of $160.42.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.40 by $0.08. Zoetis had a net margin of 27.12% and a return on equity of 55.48%. The business had revenue of $2.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.20 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.38 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 EPS for the current year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Shareholders 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 yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 18th. Zoetis's dividend payout ratio is presently 35.91%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Zoetis news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 652 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $110,840.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 15,129 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,571,930. This represents a 4.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on ZTS. Leerink Partners lowered shares of Zoetis from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $180.00 to $155.00 in a report on Thursday, July 17th. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. UBS Group reduced 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. Leerink Partnrs lowered shares of Zoetis from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, July 17th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered shares of Zoetis from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $165.00 to $160.00 in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Zoetis has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $204.63.

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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