Vicus Capital Makes New $298,000 Investment in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Vicus Capital bought a new position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 1,762 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $298,000.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Zoetis by 222.5% in the fourth quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 129 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Webster Bank N. A. grew its position in Zoetis by 89.1% in the first quarter. Webster Bank N. A. now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky grew its position in Zoetis by 371.4% in the fourth quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky now owns 165 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Private Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Ramirez Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the 3rd quarter worth $35,000. 92.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 923 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.17, for a total transaction of $139,529.91. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 14,800 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,237,316. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Zoetis Trading Down 1.8 %

Shares of ZTS stock opened at $173.36 on Friday. Zoetis Inc. has a 52-week low of $144.80 and a 52-week high of $201.92. The stock has a market cap of $79.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a current ratio of 3.33. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $168.69 and a 200-day moving average of $178.72.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The company reported $1.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.34 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $2.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.14 billion. Zoetis had a net margin of 27.38% and a return on equity of 50.34%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.31 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 18th will be given a dividend of $0.432 per share. This represents a $1.73 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.00%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 18th. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.33%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on ZTS shares. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $223.00 to $196.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 6th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 30th. HSBC reduced their price target on shares of Zoetis from $230.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $195.00 price target (down from $220.00) on shares of Zoetis in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Zoetis from $260.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $211.75.

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.