Versant Capital Management Inc Boosts Holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 177.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,095 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 1,981 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc's holdings in Zoetis were worth $510,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 482.8% during the 4th quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 169 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its stake in Zoetis by 5,533.3% in the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 169 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Navigoe LLC bought a new stake in Zoetis in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp bought a new position in shares of Zoetis during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Finally, Asset Planning Inc purchased a new position in shares of Zoetis in the fourth quarter valued at $58,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.80% of the company's stock.

Zoetis Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE ZTS traded down $0.37 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $169.93. The company had a trading volume of 810,892 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,524,571. Zoetis Inc. has a 52-week low of $139.70 and a 52-week high of $200.33. The stock has a market cap of $75.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.07, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $157.04 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $164.43.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.40 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $2.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.20 billion. Zoetis had a return on equity of 53.82% and a net margin of 26.86%. The business's revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.38 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on ZTS shares. Wall Street Zen raised Zoetis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. UBS Group lowered their target price on Zoetis from $189.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Zoetis from $180.00 to $165.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Zoetis presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $212.75.

Insider Activity at Zoetis

In other Zoetis news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 15,781 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,682,770. This represents a 2.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, 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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 11,245 shares in the company, valued at $1,868,244.30. This represents a 9.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

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.