Stevens Capital Management LP Sells 3,805 Shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Stevens Capital Management LP trimmed its stake in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 70.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,599 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,805 shares during the period. Stevens Capital Management LP’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $316,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in ZTS. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. bought a new position in shares of Zoetis during the third quarter worth about $176,219,000. Alphinity Investment Management Pty Ltd lifted its holdings in Zoetis by 214.7% during the 4th quarter. Alphinity Investment Management Pty Ltd now owns 824,148 shares of the company’s stock worth $162,662,000 after purchasing an additional 562,259 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Zoetis by 27,671.0% during the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 479,328 shares of the company’s stock worth $94,605,000 after purchasing an additional 477,602 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in Zoetis by 34.8% in the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,562,044 shares of the company’s stock valued at $271,764,000 after acquiring an additional 403,164 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Natixis Advisors L.P. increased its stake in shares of Zoetis by 53.9% in the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. now owns 941,219 shares of the company’s stock valued at $163,753,000 after purchasing an additional 329,543 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ZTS traded up $5.06 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $158.42. The company had a trading volume of 5,236,447 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,117,213. The company has a market capitalization of $72.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.01, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.85. Zoetis Inc. has a 1 year low of $144.80 and a 1 year high of $201.92. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $172.39 and its 200-day moving average price is $179.40. The company has a current ratio of 3.36, a quick ratio of 2.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $1.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.32 by ($0.08). The business had revenue of $2.21 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.19 billion. Zoetis had a net margin of 27.43% and a return on equity of 51.25%. Zoetis’s quarterly revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.15 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.432 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 18th. This represents a $1.73 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.09%. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.12%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ZTS has been the topic of a number of research reports. Barclays reduced their price objective on Zoetis from $260.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Zoetis from $190.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. StockNews.com downgraded Zoetis from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $195.00 price objective (down from $220.00) on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on Zoetis from $215.00 to $195.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, Zoetis has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $218.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 363 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $197.74, for a total value of $71,779.62. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 20,417 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,037,257.58. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 2,209 shares of company stock worth $371,293. Company insiders own 0.12% 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.