Rafferty Asset Management LLC Increases Position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Rafferty Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 10.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 53,173 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 4,927 shares during the period. Rafferty Asset Management LLC's holdings in Zoetis were worth $8,663,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Raiffeisen Bank International AG purchased a new stake in Zoetis during the 4th quarter worth approximately $41,128,000. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Zoetis during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,791,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in Zoetis during the 4th quarter worth approximately $10,279,000. Quantinno Capital Management LP grew its holdings in Zoetis by 46.1% during the 4th quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 89,188 shares of the company's stock worth $14,531,000 after acquiring an additional 28,129 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mufg Securities Americas Inc. acquired a new position in Zoetis during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,085,000. 92.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Zoetis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on shares of Zoetis from $180.00 to $165.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, 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 report on Monday, May 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $212.75.

Zoetis Stock Performance

ZTS stock traded down $0.31 on Tuesday, hitting $163.63. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,780,660 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,512,361. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $156.51 and a two-hundred day moving average of $165.09. Zoetis Inc. has a 1 year low of $139.70 and a 1 year high of $200.33. The stock has a market cap of $72.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.08. Zoetis had a net margin of 26.86% and a return on equity of 53.82%. The firm had revenue of $2.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.20 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.38 EPS. Zoetis's revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Zoetis

In other Zoetis news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $55,420.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 15,781 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,682,770. This represents a 2.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Willie M. Reed sold 1,210 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.14, for a total transaction of $201,029.40. Following the transaction, the director now owns 11,245 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,868,244.30. The trade was a 9.71% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.18% of the stock is owned by 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.