First National Advisers LLC Purchases 1,176 Shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

First National Advisers LLC raised its stake in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 4.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 28,285 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,176 shares during the period. First National Advisers LLC’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $4,609,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Glenview Trust co increased its stake in Zoetis by 10.8% in the fourth quarter. Glenview Trust co now owns 4,221 shares of the company’s stock valued at $688,000 after purchasing an additional 410 shares in the last quarter. Sovereign Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the fourth quarter worth about $246,000. Avalon Trust Co increased its position in shares of Zoetis by 217.7% during the fourth quarter. Avalon Trust Co now owns 2,627 shares of the company’s stock worth $428,000 after acquiring an additional 1,800 shares in the last quarter. one8zero8 LLC bought a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the fourth quarter worth about $368,000. Finally, Choate Investment Advisors increased its position in shares of Zoetis by 37.6% during the fourth quarter. Choate Investment Advisors now owns 5,109 shares of the company’s stock worth $832,000 after acquiring an additional 1,395 shares in the last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Zoetis Stock Up 0.8 %

Zoetis stock opened at $161.33 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $166.82 and a 200-day moving average price of $176.15. 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 Inc. has a twelve month low of $144.80 and a twelve month high of $200.33. The company has a market capitalization of $72.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.94.

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

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

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 paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.24%. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio is 36.56%.

Insider Activity at Zoetis

In related news, Director Willie M. Reed sold 1,210 shares of Zoetis 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 11,245 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,868,244.30. The trade was a 9.71 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,781 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,682,770. The trade was a 2.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 1,862 shares of company stock worth $312,254. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on ZTS. StockNews.com raised shares of Zoetis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on shares of Zoetis from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased 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. Leerink Partners began coverage on shares of Zoetis in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 target price for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Zoetis currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $215.90.

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.