Sapient Capital LLC Lowers Stake in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Sapient Capital LLC trimmed its holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 65.9% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,658 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,201 shares during the quarter. Sapient Capital LLC’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $270,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Cherry Creek Investment Advisors Inc. increased its position in Zoetis by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Cherry Creek Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 3,021 shares of the company’s stock valued at $590,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the period. Hancock Whitney Corp grew its stake in shares of Zoetis by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 18,569 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,628,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Strategy Asset Managers LLC increased its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 3.5% in the third quarter. Strategy Asset Managers LLC now owns 1,822 shares of the company’s stock valued at $356,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the period. Procyon Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Zoetis by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 4,712 shares of the company’s stock worth $768,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aberdeen Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 1.9% during the third quarter. Aberdeen Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,566 shares of the company’s stock worth $697,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis Stock Performance

Shares of ZTS stock opened at $173.99 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 2.27 and a current ratio of 3.69. The stock has a market cap of $78.50 billion, a PE ratio of 32.70, a P/E/G 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 stock has a fifty day moving average price of $169.11 and a 200 day moving average price of $179.11.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 1.15%. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio is presently 37.59%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ZTS has been the topic of several recent research reports. Leerink Partners assumed coverage on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Zoetis from $248.00 to $243.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Zoetis in a research report on Monday, December 9th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 price objective for the company. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Piper Sandler reduced their price target on Zoetis from $210.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $214.00.

Insider Activity at Zoetis

In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of Zoetis stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.18, for a total transaction of $55,804.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,107 shares in the company, valued at $2,757,196.26. The trade was a 1.98 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.16% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.