Advisors Asset Management Inc. Has $3.22 Million Position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Advisors Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 12.6% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 19,733 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,213 shares during the quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $3,215,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Retirement Planning Co of New England Inc. grew its position in shares of Zoetis by 19.0% in the fourth quarter. Retirement Planning Co of New England Inc. now owns 2,189 shares of the company’s stock valued at $357,000 after purchasing an additional 349 shares during the last quarter. Mystic Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Zoetis in the fourth quarter valued at about $929,000. Leelyn Smith LLC grew its position in shares of Zoetis by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Leelyn Smith LLC now owns 22,433 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,655,000 after purchasing an additional 744 shares during the last quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp grew its position in shares of Zoetis by 15.5% in the fourth quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp now owns 71,255 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,610,000 after purchasing an additional 9,574 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Polen Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Zoetis by 17.5% in the fourth quarter. Polen Capital Management LLC now owns 7,483,194 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,219,237,000 after buying an additional 1,116,541 shares during the period. 92.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Zoetis Stock Performance

NYSE ZTS opened at $162.86 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $72.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.77, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a 50 day moving average of $166.76 and a 200-day moving average of $175.52. 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 Inc. has a 1-year low of $144.80 and a 1-year high of $200.33.

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

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.23%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. Zoetis’s payout ratio is 36.56%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ZTS has been the subject of several research reports. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Leerink Partners initiated coverage on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Zoetis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 9th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 target price for the company. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $215.90.

Insider Transactions at Zoetis

In related news, Director Willie M. Reed sold 1,210 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $166.14, for a total value of $201,029.40. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 11,245 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,868,244.30. This trade represents a 9.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $55,420.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,781 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,682,770. This represents a 2.02 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 1,862 shares of company stock valued at $312,254. Corporate insiders own 0.16% 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.