Stephens Inc. AR Raises Stock Position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Stephens Inc. AR raised its position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 87.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 110,562 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 51,537 shares during the quarter. Stephens Inc. AR's holdings in Zoetis were worth $18,204,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Navigoe LLC acquired a new position in shares of Zoetis during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Zoetis by 79.3% in the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 199 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares during the period. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp bought a new stake in shares of Zoetis in the fourth quarter valued at about $44,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its stake in shares of Zoetis by 141.4% in the first quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 280 shares of the company's stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 164 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bfsg LLC grew its position in 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 in the last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Zoetis

In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 652 shares of Zoetis stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $110,840.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 15,129 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,571,930. This trade represents a 4.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Zoetis Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE:ZTS traded up $0.72 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $155.68. 1,986,473 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,592,613. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $161.32 and a 200-day moving average price of $161.82. Zoetis Inc. has a 12 month low of $139.70 and a 12 month high of $200.33. The company has a market cap of $69.31 billion, a PE ratio of 27.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.74 and a quick ratio of 1.04.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.40 by $0.08. Zoetis had a net margin of 27.12% and a return on equity of 55.48%. The business had revenue of $2.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.20 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.38 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Investors 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.28%. Zoetis's payout ratio is currently 35.91%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus cut shares of Zoetis from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $165.00 to $160.00 in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $189.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $212.13.

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.