Ascent Wealth Partners LLC Has $1.75 Million Holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Ascent Wealth Partners LLC cut its holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 1.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 10,709 shares of the company’s stock after selling 103 shares during the quarter. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $1,745,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ZTS. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Zoetis by 482.8% in the fourth quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 169 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 140 shares during the period. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Zoetis in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new position in Zoetis in the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in Zoetis in the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its stake in Zoetis by 80.6% in the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 168 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the period. 92.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Zoetis Stock Up 1.9 %

Shares of NYSE:ZTS opened at $160.39 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $71.82 billion, a PE ratio of 29.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.90. 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 business has a fifty day moving average price of $166.51 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $177.99. Zoetis Inc. has a 1 year low of $144.80 and a 1 year high of $200.53.

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

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 21st. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.25%. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.56%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ZTS has been the topic of a number of research reports. Leerink Partners initiated coverage on Zoetis in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group initiated coverage on Zoetis in a research report on Monday, December 9th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 target price on the stock. Leerink Partnrs raised Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus lowered 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, Barclays upped their target price on Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Zoetis has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $215.40.

Insider Transactions at Zoetis

In other news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 owns 16,107 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,757,196.26. This represents a 1.98 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.16% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.