Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ Acquires Shares of 350,972 Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ bought a new position in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 350,972 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $57,184,000. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ owned 0.08% of Zoetis as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. PKO Investment Management Joint Stock Co bought a new stake in Zoetis during the 4th quarter valued at $978,000. Menard Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 11.4% in the fourth quarter. Menard Financial Group LLC now owns 1,957 shares of the company's stock valued at $319,000 after acquiring an additional 201 shares in the last quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new stake in Zoetis in the fourth quarter worth about $87,984,000. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV lifted its stake in Zoetis by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV now owns 11,741 shares of the company's stock worth $1,913,000 after acquiring an additional 196 shares during the period. Finally, Capital A Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Zoetis during the 4th quarter worth about $259,000. Institutional investors own 92.80% of the company's stock.

Zoetis Stock Performance

Zoetis stock traded up $1.57 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $168.71. 5,467,815 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,533,285. The firm's fifty day moving average is $156.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $164.63. The company has a market capitalization of $75.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.94. Zoetis Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $139.70 and a fifty-two week high of $200.33. 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 (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last released 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 return on equity of 53.82% and a net margin of 26.86%. The firm had revenue of $2.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.20 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.38 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 18th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.19%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 18th. Zoetis's payout ratio is 35.91%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on ZTS shares. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Zoetis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. UBS Group lowered their price target 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. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of Zoetis from $180.00 to $165.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. One 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $212.75.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Zoetis news, Director Willie M. Reed sold 1,210 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $166.14, for a total value of $201,029.40. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 11,245 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,868,244.30. This represents a 9.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,781 shares in the company, valued at $2,682,770. This represents a 2.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Zoetis Company 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.