Waycross Partners LLC Reduces Stake in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Waycross Partners LLC lowered its holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 32.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 10,000 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,800 shares during the quarter. Waycross Partners LLC’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $1,974,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of ZTS. Brookstone Capital Management lifted its stake in shares of Zoetis by 144.1% in the 3rd quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 13,030 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,190,000 after purchasing an additional 7,692 shares during the period. PDS Planning Inc lifted its stake in shares of Zoetis by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 2,291 shares of the company’s stock valued at $399,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Zoetis by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 177,180 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,826,000 after purchasing an additional 5,764 shares during the period. Vicus Capital purchased a new position in shares of Zoetis in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $309,000. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. lifted its stake in shares of Zoetis by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 666,276 shares of the company’s stock valued at $115,919,000 after purchasing an additional 5,999 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of Zoetis stock traded down $0.53 on Tuesday, reaching $159.17. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,647,859 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,147,432. The company has a market capitalization of $72.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.39, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.85. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $170.66 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $179.12. Zoetis Inc. has a 52 week low of $144.80 and a 52 week high of $201.92. The company has a quick ratio of 2.00, a current ratio of 3.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $1.24 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by ($0.08). The business had revenue of $2.21 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.19 billion. Zoetis had a return on equity of 51.25% and a net margin of 27.43%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.15 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Investors of record on Friday, April 19th will be issued a $0.432 dividend. This represents a $1.73 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.09%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 18th. Zoetis’s payout ratio is currently 34.12%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 363 shares of Zoetis stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $197.74, for a total value of $71,779.62. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 20,417 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,037,257.58. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders sold 2,209 shares of company stock valued at $371,293 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on ZTS shares. Barclays lowered their target price on Zoetis from $260.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $195.00 price objective (down previously from $220.00) on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Zoetis from $190.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. StockNews.com cut Zoetis from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Zoetis from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $216.13.

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.