Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. Sells 6,723 Shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. decreased its stake in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 2.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 232,409 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,723 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. owned 0.05% of Zoetis worth $37,866,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. lifted its position in Zoetis by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. now owns 182,403 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,719,000 after acquiring an additional 5,900 shares during the last quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC raised its position in Zoetis by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 67,639 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,020,000 after purchasing an additional 335 shares in the last quarter. Walter Public Investments Inc. raised its position in Zoetis by 10.2% during the fourth quarter. Walter Public Investments Inc. now owns 92,852 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,128,000 after purchasing an additional 8,587 shares in the last quarter. Heritage Investors Management Corp raised its position in Zoetis by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Heritage Investors Management Corp now owns 185,104 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,159,000 after purchasing an additional 6,337 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SRN Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Zoetis during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $225,000. Institutional investors own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Zoetis news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.18, for a total value of $55,804.68. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,107 shares in the company, valued at $2,757,196.26. This represents a 1.98 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Zoetis Stock Down 2.1 %

Zoetis stock opened at $164.99 on Thursday. Zoetis Inc. has a twelve month low of $144.80 and a twelve month high of $200.53. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $166.22 and a 200-day moving average price of $177.58. The company has a market capitalization of $73.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a quick ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.40 EPS 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 the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. Zoetis had a net margin of 26.86% and a return on equity of 53.82%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 EPS for the current year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, April 21st will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 21st. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.56%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on ZTS shares. StockNews.com cut shares of Zoetis from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Zoetis in a report on Monday, December 9th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Leerink Partners initiated coverage on shares of Zoetis in a report on Monday, December 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 price objective on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $215.40.

About Zoetis

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.