Stephens Inc. AR Sells 1,187 Shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Stephens Inc. AR lowered its stake in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 2.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 48,344 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,187 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $9,445,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Quarry LP lifted its stake in Zoetis by 273.2% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 209 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Zoetis in the 1st quarter valued at about $43,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its holdings in Zoetis by 1,387.5% during the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 238 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 222 shares during the period. Central Valley Advisors LLC bought a new position in Zoetis during the second quarter worth about $49,000. Finally, EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new position in Zoetis during the second quarter worth approximately $56,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis Price Performance

NYSE:ZTS opened at $181.95 on Friday. Zoetis Inc. has a 52 week low of $144.80 and a 52 week high of $201.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 2.09 and a current ratio of 3.45. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $188.97 and its 200 day simple moving average is $178.51. The firm has a market cap of $82.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.61, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.90.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The company reported $1.56 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.07. Zoetis had a net margin of 26.29% and a return on equity of 50.67%. The company had revenue of $2.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.31 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.41 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 31st will be given a dividend of $0.432 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 31st. This represents a $1.73 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.95%. Zoetis’s payout ratio is 33.86%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on ZTS. BTIG Research raised their price objective on Zoetis from $220.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Zoetis from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $195.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. Argus raised shares of Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Zoetis from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $221.44.

About Zoetis

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.