Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) Shares Sold by Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA decreased its position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 17.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,088,439 shares of the company's stock after selling 632,332 shares during the quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA owned 0.67% of Zoetis worth $609,565,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in Zoetis by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 12,344,692 shares of the company's stock worth $2,147,730,000 after buying an additional 297,044 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in Zoetis by 3.3% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,143,258 shares of the company's stock worth $1,068,804,000 after purchasing an additional 196,771 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 3,026,518 shares of the company's stock valued at $526,553,000 after buying an additional 91,713 shares in the last quarter. Blair William & Co. IL boosted its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 2,428,509 shares of the company's stock valued at $422,512,000 after buying an additional 32,918 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in Zoetis by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,126,090 shares of the company's stock worth $369,736,000 after acquiring an additional 10,153 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.80% of the company's stock.

Zoetis Stock Performance

ZTS traded down $1.13 during trading on Monday, reaching $167.91. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,125,721 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,160,005. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a current ratio of 3.33. The company's fifty day moving average price is $165.90 and its 200-day moving average price is $178.96. Zoetis Inc. has a 52-week low of $144.80 and a 52-week high of $201.92. The company has a market capitalization of $76.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.86.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 2nd. The company reported $1.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.34 by $0.04. Zoetis had a return on equity of 50.34% and a net margin of 27.38%. The firm had revenue of $2.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.14 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.31 earnings per share. Zoetis's quarterly revenue was up 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 923 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.17, for a total value of $139,529.91. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 14,800 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,237,316. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have issued reports on ZTS shares. HSBC dropped their price objective on Zoetis from $230.00 to $225.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Zoetis from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 30th. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Zoetis from $260.00 to $230.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of Zoetis from $223.00 to $196.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 6th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Zoetis from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $211.75.

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.

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