Simon Quick Advisors LLC Boosts Holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Simon Quick Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 60.3% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 4,835 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,818 shares during the period. Simon Quick Advisors LLC’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $796,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Zoetis by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 41,366,877 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,739,905,000 after purchasing an additional 120,158 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Zoetis by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,617,897 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,726,075,000 after acquiring an additional 190,137 shares in the last quarter. Polen Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Zoetis by 17.5% during the 4th quarter. Polen Capital Management LLC now owns 7,483,194 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,219,237,000 after acquiring an additional 1,116,541 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in shares of Zoetis by 78.5% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 6,958,543 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,133,755,000 after acquiring an additional 3,059,255 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in shares of Zoetis by 13.3% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,426,394 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,047,052,000 after acquiring an additional 755,893 shares in the last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 652 shares of Zoetis stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $110,840.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 15,129 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,571,930. This trade represents a 4.13% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis Stock Up 1.4%

ZTS stock opened at $168.64 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $75.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.83, 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. Zoetis Inc. has a 12 month low of $139.70 and a 12 month high of $200.33. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $158.26 and a two-hundred day moving average of $164.09.

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

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 18th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.19%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 18th. Zoetis’s payout ratio is presently 35.91%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Zoetis from $189.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Zoetis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Barclays raised their price target 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. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Zoetis from $180.00 to $165.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th. One equities 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, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $212.75.

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.