Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) Shares Sold by Great Valley Advisor Group Inc.

Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 10.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 28,089 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,361 shares during the period. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc.'s holdings in Zoetis were worth $4,576,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its position 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 purchasing an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. Navigoe LLC acquired a new position in Zoetis in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp acquired a new stake in Zoetis in the fourth quarter worth $44,000. Finally, Asset Planning Inc bought a new position in Zoetis in the fourth quarter valued at $58,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.80% of the company's stock.

Zoetis Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of NYSE:ZTS traded up $1.57 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $168.71. The company's stock had a trading volume of 5,467,815 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,527,041. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $156.80 and a 200-day moving average of $164.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $75.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.84, a PEG 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. Zoetis Inc. has a 12-month low of $139.70 and a 12-month high of $200.33.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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. Zoetis had a net margin of 26.86% and a return on equity of 53.82%. The business had revenue of $2.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.20 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.38 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.19%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 18th. Zoetis's payout ratio is 35.91%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of Zoetis stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $55,420.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,781 shares in the company, valued at $2,682,770. The trade was a 2.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Willie M. Reed sold 1,210 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.14, for a total value of $201,029.40. Following the sale, the director now owns 11,245 shares in the company, valued at $1,868,244.30. The trade was a 9.71% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on ZTS shares. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Zoetis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Morgan Stanley reduced 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. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $180.00 to $165.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Finally, UBS Group cut 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Zoetis presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $212.75.

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.