Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) Stock Position Decreased by Vista Investment Partners LLC

Vista Investment Partners LLC reduced its stake in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 9.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 24,821 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,704 shares during the period. Zoetis accounts for about 1.2% of Vista Investment Partners LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest holding. Vista Investment Partners LLC's holdings in Zoetis were worth $4,087,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Zoetis by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 41,366,877 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,739,905,000 after purchasing an additional 120,158 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Zoetis by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,617,897 shares of the company's stock worth $1,726,075,000 after buying an additional 190,137 shares in the last quarter. Polen Capital Management LLC increased its position in Zoetis by 17.5% in the 4th quarter. Polen Capital Management LLC now owns 7,483,194 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,219,237,000 after acquiring an additional 1,116,541 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in Zoetis by 78.5% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 6,958,543 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,133,755,000 after acquiring an additional 3,059,255 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in Zoetis by 13.3% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,426,394 shares of the company's stock worth $1,047,052,000 after acquiring an additional 755,893 shares during the period. 92.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Zoetis Price Performance

NYSE ZTS opened at $164.36 on Tuesday. Zoetis Inc. has a 1 year low of $139.70 and a 1 year high of $200.33. The business's fifty day moving average is $159.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $163.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $73.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a current ratio of 1.75.

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, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.40 by $0.08. Zoetis had a return on equity of 53.82% and a net margin of 26.86%. The company had revenue of $2.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.20 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.38 earnings per share. Zoetis's revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 18th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.22%. Zoetis's dividend payout ratio is currently 35.91%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ZTS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $180.00 to $165.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on shares of Zoetis from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Zoetis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $189.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $212.75.

Insider Activity at Zoetis

In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 652 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $110,840.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,129 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,571,930. This represents a 4.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.

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