M. Kulyk & Associates LLC Cuts Stake in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

M. Kulyk & Associates LLC lowered its position in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 1.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 36,509 shares of the company’s stock after selling 715 shares during the quarter. Zoetis accounts for 1.3% of M. Kulyk & Associates LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest holding. M. Kulyk & Associates LLC’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $5,948,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in ZTS. Howard Capital Management Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 104,866 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,489,000 after purchasing an additional 883 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 17.3% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,377,403 shares of the company’s stock valued at $464,497,000 after purchasing an additional 351,372 shares in the last quarter. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS increased its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 62.8% in the 3rd quarter. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS now owns 3,020 shares of the company’s stock valued at $590,000 after purchasing an additional 1,165 shares in the last quarter. Summit Global Investments increased its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 344.8% in the 3rd quarter. Summit Global Investments now owns 5,173 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,011,000 after purchasing an additional 4,010 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in shares of Zoetis in the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis Price Performance

Zoetis stock opened at $170.34 on Friday. Zoetis Inc. has a 12-month low of $144.80 and a 12-month high of $200.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $76.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.14, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.94. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $166.72 and its two-hundred day moving average is $176.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.08.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $0.03. Zoetis had a net margin of 26.86% and a return on equity of 53.82%. The company had revenue of $2.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.30 billion. Equities analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, April 21st will be given a $0.50 dividend. 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 is presently 36.56%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.18, for a total value of $55,804.68. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,107 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,757,196.26. This trade represents a 1.98 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on ZTS shares. Leerink Partnrs upgraded shares of Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 2nd. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Zoetis in a report on Monday, December 9th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 target price for the company. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on shares of Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Zoetis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their target price on shares of Zoetis from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Zoetis currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $215.90.

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.