Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO Buys 1,944 Shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO grew its stake in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 12.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 17,525 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,944 shares during the quarter. Zoetis makes up about 1.1% of Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO's holdings, making the stock its 28th largest position. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO's holdings in Zoetis were worth $2,885,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Zoetis in the fourth quarter worth $824,321,000. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 78.5% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 6,958,543 shares of the company's stock worth $1,133,755,000 after buying an additional 3,059,255 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Zoetis during the fourth quarter valued at about $196,651,000. Polen Capital Management LLC grew its position in Zoetis by 17.5% during 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 buying an additional 1,116,541 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors purchased a new stake in Zoetis during the fourth quarter worth about $178,688,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.80% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, 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 transaction of $201,029.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 11,245 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,868,244.30. The trade was a 9.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $55,420.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 15,781 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,682,770. This trade represents a 2.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Zoetis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Zoetis from $189.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. Piper Sandler upped their price target on Zoetis from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Zoetis from $180.00 to $165.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $212.75.

Zoetis Price Performance

ZTS traded up $0.30 during trading on Monday, reaching $168.93. 1,479,163 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,523,066. Zoetis Inc. has a 12-month low of $139.70 and a 12-month high of $200.33. The company's 50-day moving average is $156.80 and its two-hundred day moving average is $164.43. The company has a quick ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The company has a market cap of $75.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.90, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.94.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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. The firm had revenue of $2.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.20 billion. Zoetis had a net margin of 26.86% and a return on equity of 53.82%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.38 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 18th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.18%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 18th. Zoetis's payout ratio is 35.91%.

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.