Brown Advisory Inc. Lowers Holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Brown Advisory Inc. decreased its position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 5.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,095,796 shares of the company’s stock after selling 235,296 shares during the period. Zoetis makes up approximately 0.8% of Brown Advisory Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest position. Brown Advisory Inc. owned 0.91% of Zoetis worth $667,328,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 482.8% during the fourth quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 169 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its stake in shares of Zoetis by 5,533.3% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 169 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Navigoe LLC bought a new position in shares of Zoetis during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the fourth quarter valued at $44,000. Finally, Asset Planning Inc bought a new stake in Zoetis in the 4th quarter worth about $58,000. 92.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Zoetis Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of ZTS stock opened at $157.43 on Friday. 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 stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $158.31 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $167.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $70.24 billion, a PE ratio of 28.78, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.94. Zoetis Inc. has a 52-week low of $139.70 and a 52-week high of $200.33.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $0.03. Zoetis had a return on equity of 53.82% and a net margin of 26.86%. The company had revenue of $2.32 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. On average, analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 EPS for the current fiscal 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 given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.27%. Zoetis’s payout ratio is 36.56%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ZTS has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. StockNews.com raised shares of Zoetis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Piper Sandler increased their price target on Zoetis from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Zoetis from $180.00 to $165.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $214.40.

Insider Activity

In other Zoetis news, Director Willie M. Reed sold 1,210 shares of Zoetis stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.14, for a total value of $201,029.40. Following the sale, the director now owns 11,245 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,868,244.30. The trade was a 9.71 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $55,420.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 15,781 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,682,770. This represents a 2.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 1,862 shares of company stock worth $312,254 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

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.