Westwood Holdings Group Inc. Raises Holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Westwood Holdings Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 0.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 170,105 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,527 shares during the quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc.'s holdings in Zoetis were worth $27,715,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Triglav Skladi D.O.O. acquired a new stake in shares of Zoetis in the fourth quarter worth $727,000. Twinbeech Capital LP bought a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the fourth quarter worth approximately $20,578,000. Two Sigma Advisers LP grew its holdings in Zoetis by 18.4% during the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 39,900 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,501,000 after purchasing an additional 6,200 shares during the period. Two Sigma Investments LP grew its holdings in Zoetis by 632.7% during the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 138,239 shares of the company's stock valued at $22,523,000 after purchasing an additional 119,372 shares during the period. Finally, Texas Bank & Trust Co acquired a new position in Zoetis during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $342,000. Institutional investors own 92.80% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Zoetis

In other Zoetis news, Director Willie M. Reed sold 1,210 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.14, for a total value of $201,029.40. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 11,245 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,868,244.30. This trade represents a 9.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of Zoetis 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,781 shares in the company, valued at $2,682,770. This represents a 2.02% 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 Trading Up 0.4%

ZTS stock traded up $0.66 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $162.10. 2,873,540 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,522,978. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a current ratio of 1.75. Zoetis Inc. has a one year low of $139.70 and a one year high of $200.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $72.17 billion, a PE ratio of 29.63, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.94. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $156.51 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $164.96.

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

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 18th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.23%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 18th. Zoetis's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.91%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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.