Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) Position Trimmed by Ameritas Advisory Services LLC

Ameritas Advisory Services LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 13.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,061 shares of the company’s stock after selling 321 shares during the period. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $339,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its position in shares of Zoetis by 5,533.3% during the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 169 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Navigoe LLC bought a new position in Zoetis during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp bought a new position in Zoetis during the 4th quarter worth $44,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its stake in Zoetis by 141.4% during the 1st quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 280 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 164 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bfsg LLC grew its stake in Zoetis by 614.6% during the 1st quarter. Bfsg LLC now owns 293 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 252 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on ZTS shares. Piper Sandler raised their price target on shares of Zoetis from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Zoetis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. UBS Group lowered their price target on Zoetis from $189.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered Zoetis from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $165.00 to $160.00 in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $212.13.

Zoetis Price Performance

NYSE ZTS opened at $159.19 on Friday. Zoetis Inc. has a 1 year low of $139.70 and a 1 year high of $200.33. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $161.05 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $162.20. The company has a current ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12. The company has a market cap of $70.87 billion, a PE ratio of 28.58, a PEG ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.91.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.08. Zoetis had a net margin of 27.12% and a return on equity of 55.48%. The company had revenue of $2.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.20 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.38 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 EPS for the current year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 18th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 18th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.26%. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio is 35.91%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Zoetis

In other news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 652 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $110,840.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 15,129 shares in the company, valued at $2,571,930. This represents a 4.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.