Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Invests $87.98 Million in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 540,011 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $87,984,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned approximately 0.12% of Zoetis at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV raised its position in shares of Zoetis by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV now owns 11,741 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,913,000 after purchasing an additional 196 shares during the period. Capital A Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Zoetis in the 4th quarter worth $259,000. Cypress Asset Management Inc. TX bought a new stake in Zoetis during the fourth quarter valued at about $4,593,000. American Trust raised its holdings in Zoetis by 9.3% during the fourth quarter. American Trust now owns 16,877 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,750,000 after acquiring an additional 1,430 shares during the period. Finally, Perennial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Zoetis in the fourth quarter valued at about $3,751,000. Institutional investors own 92.80% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other Zoetis news, Director Willie M. Reed sold 1,210 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $166.14, for a total value of $201,029.40. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 11,245 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,868,244.30. The trade was a 9.71% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $55,420.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,781 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,682,770. This trade represents a 2.02% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on ZTS shares. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on 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 cut their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $189.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Zoetis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their price target on shares of Zoetis from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Zoetis presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $212.75.

Zoetis Price Performance

Zoetis stock traded down $1.06 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $165.20. 1,723,724 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,525,518. Zoetis Inc. has a 12-month low of $139.70 and a 12-month high of $200.33. 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 stock has a 50 day moving average of $156.58 and a two-hundred day moving average of $164.69. The company has a market cap of $73.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.20, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.94.

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

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 18th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 18th. Zoetis's dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.