Alta Capital Management LLC Sells 4,976 Shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Alta Capital Management LLC cut its stake in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 2.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 169,791 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,976 shares during the period. Zoetis accounts for 1.6% of Alta Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest holding. Alta Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $27,664,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Zoetis by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,394,355 shares of the company’s stock valued at $553,042,000 after acquiring an additional 39,448 shares during the last quarter. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Zoetis by 14.2% in the fourth quarter. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC now owns 13,186 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,148,000 after buying an additional 1,641 shares during the period. Meridian Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Zoetis by 10.7% in the fourth quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,645 shares of the company’s stock valued at $268,000 after buying an additional 159 shares during the period. Mission Wealth Management LP lifted its stake in Zoetis by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Mission Wealth Management LP now owns 2,938 shares of the company’s stock valued at $479,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the period. Finally, Fidelis Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in Zoetis by 5.6% in the fourth quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC now owns 5,969 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,026,000 after buying an additional 317 shares during the period. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Zoetis Trading Up 1.9 %

NYSE ZTS opened at $170.47 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $76.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.16, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.90. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $166.42 and a 200 day simple moving average of $177.16. Zoetis Inc. has a 12 month low of $144.80 and a 12 month high of $200.33. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09.

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

Zoetis Announces Dividend

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 1.17%. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.56%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. StockNews.com lowered Zoetis from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on Zoetis from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. 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. Finally, Leerink Partnrs raised Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $215.90.

Insider Buying and Selling 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. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

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.