Bellevue Group AG Has $1.59 Million Stake in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Bellevue Group AG lifted its holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 85.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 9,779 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,495 shares during the period. Bellevue Group AG's holdings in Zoetis were worth $1,593,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in ZTS. Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 7.7% in the fourth quarter. Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC now owns 6,705 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,092,000 after buying an additional 480 shares in the last quarter. Bearing Point Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the fourth quarter worth $233,000. BLI Banque de Luxembourg Investments acquired a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the fourth quarter worth $45,033,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 3,215,753 shares of the company's stock valued at $523,500,000 after purchasing an additional 159,382 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alpha Family Trust boosted its position in shares of Zoetis by 200.0% in the 4th quarter. Alpha Family Trust now owns 3,270 shares of the company's stock valued at $533,000 after purchasing an additional 2,180 shares during the period. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The stock was 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 $2,682,770. This trade represents a 2.02 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available 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 shares were sold at an average price of $166.14, for a total value of $201,029.40. Following the completion of the sale, the director now 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 1,862 shares of company stock worth $312,254. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Zoetis Stock Performance

Shares of Zoetis stock traded down $8.24 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $149.82. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,122,056 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,474,559. Zoetis Inc. has a one year low of $139.70 and a one year high of $200.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a current ratio of 1.75. The firm has a market cap of $66.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.94. The business's fifty day moving average price is $157.87 and its 200-day moving average price is $166.69.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last released its 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 analysts' expectations of $2.20 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.38 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.33%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. Zoetis's payout ratio is presently 36.56%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Zoetis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of Zoetis from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Zoetis from $180.00 to $165.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Zoetis presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $214.40.

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.