Krilogy Financial LLC Takes Position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Krilogy Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 11,874 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,955,000.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Zoetis by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 41,366,877 shares of the company's stock worth $6,739,905,000 after acquiring an additional 120,158 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Zoetis by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,617,897 shares of the company's stock worth $1,726,075,000 after purchasing an additional 190,137 shares during the last quarter. Polen Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 17.5% in the fourth quarter. Polen Capital Management LLC now owns 7,483,194 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,219,237,000 after acquiring an additional 1,116,541 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in Zoetis by 78.5% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 6,958,543 shares of the company's stock worth $1,133,755,000 after acquiring an additional 3,059,255 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in Zoetis by 13.3% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,426,394 shares of the company's stock worth $1,047,052,000 after purchasing an additional 755,893 shares during the period. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other Zoetis news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 652 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 owns 15,129 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,571,930. This represents a 4.13% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Zoetis Stock Performance

Shares of ZTS stock traded down $4.55 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $164.27. The stock had a trading volume of 2,973,481 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,551,305. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.08. Zoetis Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $139.70 and a fifty-two week high of $200.33. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $158.67 and its 200-day simple moving average is $164.01. The firm has a market cap of $73.13 billion, a PE ratio of 30.03, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.94.

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, topping 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 company had revenue of $2.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.20 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.38 earnings per share. Zoetis's revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, July 18th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.22%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 18th. Zoetis's dividend payout ratio is currently 35.91%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on ZTS shares. 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 price target on shares of Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. 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 research report on Monday, April 14th. UBS Group lowered their price target on Zoetis from $189.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Zoetis presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $212.75.

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.