Burns J W & Co. Inc. NY Sells 11,136 Shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Burns J W & Co. Inc. NY lessened its stake in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 40.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 16,129 shares of the company's stock after selling 11,136 shares during the period. Burns J W & Co. Inc. NY's holdings in Zoetis were worth $2,656,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on ZTS. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Zoetis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on shares of Zoetis from $180.00 to $165.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Zoetis from $189.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their price target on shares of Zoetis from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $212.75.

Insider Transactions at Zoetis

In other news, Director Willie M. Reed sold 1,210 shares of Zoetis stock in a transaction 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 directly 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of Zoetis stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $55,420.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,781 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,682,770. This represents a 2.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Zoetis Trading Up 0.4%

ZTS stock traded up $0.70 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $169.33. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,550,060 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,527,083. Zoetis Inc. has a 52 week low of $139.70 and a 52 week high of $200.33. The stock has a market cap of $75.39 billion, a PE ratio of 30.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.94. 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 business's 50-day simple moving average is $156.80 and its 200-day simple moving average is $164.43.

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

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 18th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.18%. Zoetis's dividend payout ratio is 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.