Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) Shares Sold by Eukles Asset Management

Eukles Asset Management cut its stake in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 5.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 18,497 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,097 shares during the quarter. Zoetis accounts for 1.3% of Eukles Asset Management’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest holding. Eukles Asset Management’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $3,014,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Mizuho Securities USA LLC raised its holdings in Zoetis by 13,726.9% during the 3rd quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 4,865,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $950,524,000 after buying an additional 4,829,815 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Zoetis by 41,235.7% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 939,974 shares of the company’s stock worth $183,652,000 after purchasing an additional 937,700 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in Zoetis by 296.9% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 889,444 shares of the company’s stock worth $144,917,000 after purchasing an additional 665,331 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its stake in Zoetis by 38.3% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,065,514 shares of the company’s stock valued at $336,266,000 after purchasing an additional 572,511 shares during the period. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP purchased a new stake in shares of Zoetis in the third quarter valued at $110,809,000. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Zoetis Stock Down 1.6 %

ZTS stock opened at $171.37 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 3.69, a quick ratio of 2.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The firm has a market cap of $77.32 billion, a PE ratio of 32.21, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.90. Zoetis Inc. has a 1 year low of $144.80 and a 1 year high of $200.53. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $169.26 and a 200 day simple moving average of $179.22.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 21st. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.17%. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.59%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on ZTS. UBS Group initiated coverage on Zoetis in a report on Monday, December 9th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 price target on the stock. Leerink Partners assumed coverage on Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 target price on the stock. Leerink Partnrs raised shares of Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Zoetis from $248.00 to $243.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Zoetis presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $215.00.

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.