Wealthfront Advisers LLC Has $3.17 Million Holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Wealthfront Advisers LLC lowered its position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 4.7% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 19,423 shares of the company’s stock after selling 954 shares during the period. Wealthfront Advisers LLC’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $3,165,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Howard Capital Management Group LLC boosted its position in Zoetis by 0.8% during the third quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 104,866 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,489,000 after acquiring an additional 883 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Zoetis by 17.3% during 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. Versor Investments LP boosted its position in shares of Zoetis by 26.5% during the 3rd quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 3,263 shares of the company’s stock valued at $638,000 after purchasing an additional 683 shares in the last quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in Zoetis by 2.2% during the third quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 4,532 shares of the company’s stock worth $885,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Zoetis by 8.6% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 338,866 shares of the company’s stock worth $66,208,000 after purchasing an additional 26,789 shares in the last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Zoetis Trading Down 1.0 %

NYSE:ZTS opened at $160.03 on Friday. Zoetis Inc. has a one year low of $144.80 and a one year high of $200.33. The company has a market cap of $71.66 billion, a PE ratio of 29.26, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.08. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $166.86 and a 200-day moving average of $176.33.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.40 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by $0.03. Zoetis had a return on equity of 53.82% and a net margin of 26.86%. The firm had revenue of $2.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.30 billion. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 21st. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.56%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $55,420.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,781 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,682,770. This trade represents a 2.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Willie M. Reed sold 1,210 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the director now directly owns 11,245 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,868,244.30. The trade was a 9.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 1,862 shares of company stock valued at $312,254 in the last three months. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on ZTS shares. Leerink Partners began coverage on Zoetis in a report on Monday, December 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group started coverage on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 9th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 target price on the stock. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Zoetis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their target price on Zoetis from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average 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.