American Trust Purchases 1,430 Shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

American Trust increased its holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 9.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 16,877 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,430 shares during the quarter. American Trust’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $2,750,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in Zoetis by 10.6% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,916,539 shares of the company’s stock valued at $569,834,000 after buying an additional 279,092 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its holdings in Zoetis by 65.7% during the fourth quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 172,111 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,042,000 after buying an additional 68,227 shares during the period. Mutual Advisors LLC boosted its position in Zoetis by 31.4% during the 4th quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 3,691 shares of the company’s stock valued at $625,000 after acquiring an additional 882 shares in the last quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 39.8% in the 4th quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC now owns 2,297 shares of the company’s stock valued at $374,000 after acquiring an additional 654 shares during the period. Finally, Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in shares of Zoetis by 180.4% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 4,629 shares of the company’s stock worth $754,000 after acquiring an additional 2,978 shares in the last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Zoetis Stock Performance

ZTS opened at $162.92 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $72.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a quick ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $156.48 and its 200-day moving average price is $164.84. Zoetis Inc. has a 52-week low of $139.70 and a 52-week high of $200.33.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $2.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.20 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.38 EPS. Zoetis’s revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.23%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 18th. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.91%.

Insider Activity at Zoetis

In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the company’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 value of $55,420.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 15,781 shares in the company, valued at $2,682,770. This represents a 2.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Willie M. Reed sold 1,210 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.14, for a total transaction of $201,029.40. Following the completion of the transaction, 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. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on ZTS. Wall Street Zen upgraded Zoetis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target 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. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. 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 equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $212.75.

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.