Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) Shares Sold by Hilltop National Bank

Hilltop National Bank lessened its stake in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 92.0% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 420 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,820 shares during the period. Hilltop National Bank’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $73,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. CVA Family Office LLC grew its stake in Zoetis by 13.5% during the 2nd quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 1,191 shares of the company’s stock worth $206,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Value Partners Investments Inc. grew its position in Zoetis by 35.0% during the 2nd quarter. Value Partners Investments Inc. now owns 10,972 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,902,000 after purchasing an additional 2,845 shares during the last quarter. First Bank & Trust increased its position in Zoetis by 2.5% in the 2nd quarter. First Bank & Trust now owns 9,919 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,720,000 after acquiring an additional 239 shares during the period. Bard Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 4.3% during the second quarter. Bard Financial Services Inc. now owns 2,425 shares of the company’s stock worth $420,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, Fulton Bank N.A. boosted its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 9.5% in the second quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 15,215 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,638,000 after acquiring an additional 1,322 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis Stock Performance

NYSE:ZTS traded down $0.39 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $184.90. The stock had a trading volume of 2,097,111 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,803,766. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $175.81 and its 200-day simple moving average is $175.36. Zoetis Inc. has a 1-year low of $144.80 and a 1-year high of $201.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $84.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.70, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 3.33 and a quick ratio of 1.94.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The company reported $1.56 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $2.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.31 billion. Zoetis had a return on equity of 50.34% and a net margin of 27.38%. Zoetis’s quarterly revenue was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.41 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 18th will be issued a $0.432 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 18th. This represents a $1.73 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.93%. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio is currently 33.33%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Zoetis from $260.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 23rd. BTIG Research started coverage on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. They set a “buy” rating and a $220.00 price objective on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $223.00 to $196.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 6th. HSBC cut their price objective on Zoetis from $230.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Zoetis from $180.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $214.89.

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.