Walter Public Investments Inc. Acquires 17,727 Shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Walter Public Investments Inc. boosted its holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 19.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 110,579 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 17,727 shares during the quarter. Zoetis accounts for about 3.4% of Walter Public Investments Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest position. Walter Public Investments Inc.'s holdings in Zoetis were worth $18,207,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 5,533.3% during the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 169 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. Navigoe LLC acquired a new position in shares of Zoetis during the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp acquired a new position in shares of Zoetis during the fourth quarter valued at about $44,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its position in shares of Zoetis by 141.4% during the first quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 280 shares of the company's stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 164 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bfsg LLC increased its stake in Zoetis by 614.6% in the first quarter. Bfsg LLC now owns 293 shares of the company's stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 252 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.80% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Zoetis

In other Zoetis news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 652 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were 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 approximately $2,571,930. This trade represents a 4.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ZTS has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Piper Sandler upped their target price 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. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Zoetis from $189.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut shares of Zoetis from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their target price for the company from $165.00 to $160.00 in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $212.13.

Zoetis Price Performance

Zoetis stock traded up $0.67 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $157.72. 2,885,127 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,575,010. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $70.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.91. Zoetis Inc. has a 12 month low of $139.70 and a 12 month high of $200.33. The business's 50-day moving average is $161.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $162.02.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.20 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.38 earnings per share. Zoetis's revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The business 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 18th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.27%. Zoetis's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 35.91%.

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.