Polen Capital Management LLC Has $1.45 Billion Holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Key Points

• Polen Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Zoetis Inc. by 17.6% during the first quarter, owning approximately 8.8 million shares, which represents 4.5% of its portfolio.
• Zoetis's stock has seen mixed ratings from analysts, with four analysts rating it as a hold and six giving it a buy rating, leading to a current consensus rating of "Moderate Buy."
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, with a dividend yield of 1.4%, and is expected to post an earnings per share (EPS) of 6.07 for the current year.

Polen Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 17.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 8,796,847 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 1,313,653 shares during the quarter. Zoetis comprises 4.5% of Polen Capital Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest holding. Polen Capital Management LLC owned 1.97% of Zoetis worth $1,448,401,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in ZTS. Navigoe LLC acquired a new position in shares of Zoetis during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its holdings 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 buying an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. lifted its holdings 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 buying an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its holdings 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 buying an additional 164 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bfsg LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 614.6% during the first quarter. Bfsg LLC now owns 293 shares of the company's stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 252 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.80% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Stifel Nicolaus lowered Zoetis from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and cut their target price for the company from $165.00 to $160.00 in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Piper Sandler upped their target price on Zoetis from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. UBS Group cut their target price on Zoetis from $189.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Leerink Partnrs lowered Zoetis from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. Finally, Leerink Partners lowered Zoetis from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and cut their target price for the company from $180.00 to $155.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $204.63.

Insider Activity at Zoetis

In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 652 shares of Zoetis stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $110,840.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 15,129 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,571,930. The trade was a 4.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Zoetis Stock Performance

ZTS opened at $147.34 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $156.71 and a 200 day simple moving average of $159.76. The company has a market capitalization of $65.30 billion, a PE ratio of 25.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 0.88. Zoetis Inc. has a 1 year low of $139.70 and a 1 year high of $200.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.76 and a quick ratio of 1.04.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.62 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $2.46 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.41 billion. Zoetis had a return on equity of 56.90% and a net margin of 27.83%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.56 EPS. Research 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 paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 18th. Zoetis's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.42%.

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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