National Pension Service Has $217.17 Million Holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Key Points

• National Pension Service increased its stake in Zoetis Inc. by 8.8%, owning approximately 1,318,982 shares valued at around $217 million as of the latest SEC filing.
• Analysts have mixed outlooks on Zoetis, with target prices ranging from $155 to $215, and a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy."
• Zoetis reported earnings per share of $1.76 for the last quarter, exceeding estimates, and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share for shareholders.

National Pension Service grew its stake in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 8.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,318,982 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 106,368 shares during the period. National Pension Service owned approximately 0.30% of Zoetis worth $217,170,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Navigoe LLC bought a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its position in shares of Zoetis by 79.3% during the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 199 shares of the company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. increased its position in shares of Zoetis by 87.6% during the first quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 257 shares of the company's stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its stake in Zoetis by 141.4% in the 1st 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 1st quarter. Bfsg LLC now owns 293 shares of the company's stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 252 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.80% of the company's stock.

Zoetis Stock Performance

Shares of ZTS stock traded up $1.09 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $154.15. 3,705,698 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,729,796. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $154.94 and a 200 day simple moving average of $159.20. The company has a current ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05. Zoetis Inc. has a 52-week low of $139.70 and a 52-week high of $200.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $68.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.88.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.62 by $0.14. Zoetis had a net margin of 27.83% and a return on equity of 56.90%. The company had revenue of $2.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.41 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.56 EPS. Zoetis's quarterly revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Investors 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 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 18th. Zoetis's payout ratio is currently 34.42%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Zoetis news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 652 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $110,840.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 15,129 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,571,930. The trade was a 4.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ZTS has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Leerink Partners downgraded Zoetis from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and cut their target price for the stock from $180.00 to $155.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on Zoetis from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday. Stifel Nicolaus downgraded Zoetis from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $165.00 to $160.00 in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Leerink Partnrs cut Zoetis from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price target 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. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Zoetis currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $202.43.

About Zoetis

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.