Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) Shares Sold by State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D

State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D trimmed its stake in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 0.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 262,589 shares of the company’s stock after selling 912 shares during the period. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D owned about 0.06% of Zoetis worth $51,827,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Zoetis by 222.5% in the fourth quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 129 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the period. Independence Bank of Kentucky boosted its position in shares of Zoetis by 371.4% during the 4th quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky now owns 165 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Moisand Fitzgerald Tamayo LLC grew its stake in shares of Zoetis by 105.5% in the 3rd quarter. Moisand Fitzgerald Tamayo LLC now owns 187 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the period. Ramirez Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Zoetis during the third quarter worth $35,000. Finally, First Financial Corp IN raised its holdings in Zoetis by 57.2% in the 4th quarter. First Financial Corp IN now owns 217 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the period. 92.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Zoetis Stock Up 3.3 %

Shares of ZTS traded up $5.06 during trading on Friday, reaching $158.42. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 5,236,447 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,117,213. Zoetis Inc. has a twelve month low of $144.80 and a twelve month high of $201.92. The company has a quick ratio of 2.00, a current ratio of 3.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. The company has a market cap 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. The company has a fifty day moving average of $172.39 and a two-hundred day moving average of $179.40.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last announced 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 firm had revenue of $2.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.19 billion. Zoetis had a net margin of 27.43% and a return on equity of 51.25%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.15 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 923 shares of Zoetis stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.33, for a total value of $159,983.59. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,723 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,725,267.59. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 2,209 shares of company stock valued at $371,293. Insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis 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.