Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) Stake Boosted by Impax Asset Management Group plc

Impax Asset Management Group plc increased its holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 152.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 254,407 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 153,792 shares during the period. Impax Asset Management Group plc owned 0.06% of Zoetis worth $41,729,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. HUB Investment Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Zoetis by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 1,373 shares of the company's stock valued at $224,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the period. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC grew its position in shares of Zoetis by 18.0% in the fourth quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC now owns 420 shares of the company's stock valued at $68,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the period. Lindbrook Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Zoetis by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 3,650 shares of the company's stock valued at $595,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. Ironwood Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Zoetis by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Ironwood Investment Management LLC now owns 8,354 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,361,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the period. Finally, Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Zoetis by 5.8% in the fourth quarter. Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 1,282 shares of the company's stock valued at $209,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.80% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Zoetis

In other Zoetis news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 652 shares of the company'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 sale, the executive vice president owned 15,129 shares in the company, valued at $2,571,930. This represents a 4.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Stifel Nicolaus downgraded Zoetis from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $165.00 to $160.00 in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Zoetis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. UBS Group reduced their target price on 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 lifted their target price on Zoetis from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $212.13.

Zoetis Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of ZTS traded up $0.11 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $159.19. 1,375,164 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,572,771. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $161.16 and a 200-day moving average price of $162.12. The company has a market cap of $70.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.91. Zoetis Inc. has a 1-year low of $139.70 and a 1-year high of $200.33. The company has a current ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.40 by $0.08. Zoetis had a return on equity of 55.48% and a net margin of 27.12%. The company had revenue of $2.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.20 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.38 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The company 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 dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 18th. Zoetis's payout ratio is currently 35.91%.

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.