Willis Investment Counsel Boosts Stake in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Willis Investment Counsel raised its holdings in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 33.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 61,467 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 15,240 shares during the period. Willis Investment Counsel's holdings in Zoetis were worth $10,121,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in Zoetis by 5,533.3% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 169 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. Navigoe LLC bought a new position in Zoetis in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new stake in Zoetis during the 4th quarter valued at about $44,000. Asset Planning Inc bought a new stake in Zoetis during the 4th quarter valued at about $58,000. Finally, Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd bought a new stake in Zoetis during the 4th quarter valued at about $59,000. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Zoetis Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ZTS traded down $4.55 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $164.27. The stock had a trading volume of 2,973,481 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,551,305. The business's 50 day moving average price is $158.67 and its 200 day moving average price is $164.01. Zoetis Inc. has a 1 year low of $139.70 and a 1 year high of $200.33. The company has a market cap of $73.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.03, a price-to-earnings-growth 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.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 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 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 18th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.22%. Zoetis's payout ratio is currently 35.91%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Wall Street Zen raised Zoetis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 14th. UBS Group lowered their price objective 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 their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $180.00 to $165.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. One investment 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.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $212.75.

Insider Transactions at Zoetis

In other news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 652 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $110,840.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 15,129 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,571,930. The trade was a 4.13% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 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.