Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Has $2.71 Million Stake in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. lessened its position in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 94.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,628 shares of the company's stock after selling 292,568 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in Zoetis were worth $2,709,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in ZTS. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Zoetis during the fourth quarter valued at $824,321,000. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in Zoetis by 78.5% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 6,958,543 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,133,755,000 after buying an additional 3,059,255 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Zoetis in the fourth quarter valued at about $196,651,000. Polen Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Zoetis by 17.5% in the fourth quarter. Polen Capital Management LLC now owns 7,483,194 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,219,237,000 after buying an additional 1,116,541 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors acquired a new position in Zoetis in the fourth quarter valued at about $178,688,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.80% of the company's stock.

Zoetis Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of Zoetis stock traded up $1.57 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $168.71. The company's stock had a trading volume of 5,467,815 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,527,041. Zoetis Inc. has a 12 month low of $139.70 and a 12 month high of $200.33. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $156.80 and a 200 day moving average of $164.50. The company has a market capitalization of $75.11 billion, a PE ratio of 30.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.94. 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 (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.40 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $2.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.20 billion. Zoetis had a return on equity of 53.82% and a net margin of 26.86%. Zoetis's quarterly revenue was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.38 earnings per share. Analysts predict 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. Investors of record on Friday, July 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 18th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.19%. Zoetis's payout ratio is presently 35.91%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Zoetis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Barclays increased their target price on Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Piper Sandler increased their target price on Zoetis from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, UBS Group cut their target price on Zoetis from $189.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Zoetis currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $212.75.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Zoetis news, Director Willie M. Reed sold 1,210 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.14, for a total value of $201,029.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,245 shares in the company, valued at $1,868,244.30. This trade represents a 9.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,682,770. This represents a 2.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.