Vise Technologies Inc. Raises Holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Vise Technologies Inc. grew its position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 64.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 5,602 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 2,189 shares during the quarter. Vise Technologies Inc.'s holdings in Zoetis were worth $913,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Callahan Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 90.4% during the 4th quarter. Callahan Advisors LLC now owns 13,105 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,135,000 after acquiring an additional 6,221 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc grew its holdings in Zoetis by 24.1% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 237,369 shares of the company's stock valued at $38,617,000 after purchasing an additional 46,050 shares during the last quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group boosted its holdings in Zoetis by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 245,726 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,036,000 after acquiring an additional 6,169 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Zoetis by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 41,366,877 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,739,905,000 after buying an additional 120,158 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alberta Investment Management Corp raised its position in shares of Zoetis by 2,050.0% during the fourth quarter. Alberta Investment Management Corp now owns 30,100 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,904,000 after buying an additional 28,700 shares during the last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Zoetis Price Performance

NYSE:ZTS traded down $1.06 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $165.20. The stock had a trading volume of 1,723,724 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,525,518. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.08. Zoetis Inc. has a 12 month low of $139.70 and a 12 month high of $200.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $73.55 billion, a PE ratio of 30.20, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.94. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $156.53 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $164.69.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $2.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.20 billion. Zoetis had a net margin of 26.86% and a return on equity of 53.82%. The company's revenue was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.38 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, July 18th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 18th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.21%. Zoetis's payout ratio is 35.91%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Zoetis news, Director Willie M. Reed sold 1,210 shares of the firm'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 transaction, 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $55,420.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 15,781 shares in the company, valued at $2,682,770. This represents a 2.02% decrease in their position. 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.