Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) EVP Sells $55,804.68 in Stock

Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.18, for a total transaction of $55,804.68. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 16,107 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,757,196.26. The trade was a 1.98 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Zoetis Trading Down 4.9 %

Shares of Zoetis stock opened at $165.28 on Friday. Zoetis Inc. has a 12-month low of $144.80 and a 12-month high of $200.53. The company has a market cap of $74.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.07, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a current ratio of 3.69, a quick ratio of 2.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $169.08 and its 200-day moving average price is $179.08.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by $0.03. Zoetis had a net margin of 26.55% and a return on equity of 51.98%. On average, equities analysts expect that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 21st. Zoetis’s payout ratio is 37.59%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on ZTS. Leerink Partnrs upgraded shares of Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Zoetis from $248.00 to $243.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Piper Sandler reduced their price target on shares of Zoetis from $210.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Zoetis in a research report on Monday, December 9th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 target price for the company. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $214.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Zoetis

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Zoetis in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new stake in Zoetis in the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in Zoetis in the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Dunhill Financial LLC raised 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 purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC raised 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 purchasing an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.