Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) Shares Sold by Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc.

Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. decreased its position in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 17.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 45,986 shares of the company's stock after selling 9,433 shares during the quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Zoetis were worth $7,572,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vantage Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the 1st quarter worth approximately $12,597,000. Harvey Investment Co. LLC grew its holdings in Zoetis by 72.2% in the first quarter. Harvey Investment Co. LLC now owns 32,508 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,352,000 after purchasing an additional 13,630 shares during the period. Childress Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Zoetis by 64.5% in the first quarter. Childress Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,630 shares of the company's stock valued at $433,000 after buying an additional 1,031 shares in the last quarter. Intact Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Zoetis by 475.0% during the 1st quarter. Intact Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,300 shares of the company's stock worth $379,000 after buying an additional 1,900 shares during the period. Finally, Garde Capital Inc. acquired a new position in Zoetis during the first quarter worth $49,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.80% of the company's stock.

Zoetis Stock Performance

Shares of ZTS stock opened at $156.01 on Friday. Zoetis Inc. has a one year low of $139.70 and a one year high of $200.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.74. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $160.25 and its 200-day moving average price is $162.87. The firm has a market cap of $69.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.01, a P/E/G ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.94.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $2.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.20 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.38 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 EPS 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 given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.28%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 18th. Zoetis's dividend payout ratio is presently 35.91%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on ZTS. Stifel Nicolaus lowered Zoetis from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $165.00 to $160.00 in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. UBS Group cut their target price on Zoetis from $189.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Zoetis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $212.13.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 652 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $110,840.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,129 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,571,930. This trade represents a 4.13% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Zoetis Company 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ZTS? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.