Select Equity Group L.P. Boosts Holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Select Equity Group L.P. boosted its position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 130.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 189,703 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 107,455 shares during the period. Select Equity Group L.P.'s holdings in Zoetis were worth $30,908,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ZTS. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Zoetis by 482.8% in the 4th quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 169 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its position in Zoetis by 5,533.3% during the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 169 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 166 shares during the period. Navigoe LLC bought a new position in Zoetis during the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp bought a new position in Zoetis during the fourth quarter valued at about $44,000. Finally, Asset Planning Inc bought a new position in Zoetis during the fourth quarter valued at about $58,000. 92.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Zoetis Stock Performance

Shares of ZTS stock traded down $0.31 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $163.63. 1,780,660 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,512,361. The company has a market capitalization of $72.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.91, a PEG 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. The firm's 50-day moving average is $156.51 and its 200 day moving average is $165.09. 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 quarterly 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 net margin of 26.86% and a return on equity of 53.82%. The firm had revenue of $2.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.20 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.38 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on ZTS shares. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Zoetis from $180.00 to $165.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Zoetis from $189.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. StockNews.com raised shares of Zoetis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on shares of Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Zoetis presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $212.75.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

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.