Financial Counselors Inc. Trims Stake in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Financial Counselors Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 3.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 148,863 shares of the company's stock after selling 5,962 shares during the period. Financial Counselors Inc.'s holdings in Zoetis were worth $24,510,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of ZTS. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its position in shares of Zoetis by 5,533.3% during the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 169 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the period. Navigoe LLC bought a new position in Zoetis in the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp bought a new position in Zoetis in the 4th quarter worth $44,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its holdings in Zoetis by 141.4% in the 1st quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 280 shares of the company's stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 164 shares during the period. Finally, Bfsg LLC boosted its holdings in Zoetis by 614.6% in the 1st quarter. Bfsg LLC now owns 293 shares of the company's stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 252 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 92.80% of the company's stock.

Zoetis Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ZTS traded up $0.54 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $158.81. 3,491,008 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,587,781. The company's 50-day moving average is $161.30 and its two-hundred day moving average is $161.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.74 and a quick ratio of 1.04. The company has a market capitalization of $70.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.51, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.91. Zoetis Inc. has a 1 year low of $139.70 and a 1 year high of $200.33.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last announced its 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.20 billion. Zoetis had a net margin of 27.12% and a return on equity of 55.48%. The business's revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.38 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 18th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 18th. Zoetis's dividend payout ratio is 35.91%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 652 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $110,840.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 15,129 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,571,930. This represents a 4.13% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Zoetis from $189.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Piper Sandler upped their target price on shares of Zoetis from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut shares of Zoetis from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $165.00 to $160.00 in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $212.13.

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.