Natixis Advisors L.P. Buys 1,194 Shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Natixis Advisors L.P. boosted its position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 0.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 942,413 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,194 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors L.P. owned approximately 0.21% of Zoetis worth $186,003,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in shares of Zoetis by 2.5% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 12,344,692 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,147,730,000 after buying an additional 297,044 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,143,258 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,068,804,000 after acquiring an additional 196,771 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in Zoetis by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 3,998,989 shares of the company’s stock valued at $695,744,000 after acquiring an additional 150,918 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its stake in Zoetis by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 3,026,518 shares of the company’s stock valued at $526,553,000 after purchasing an additional 91,713 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blair William & Co. IL increased its holdings in Zoetis by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 2,428,509 shares of the company’s stock worth $422,512,000 after purchasing an additional 32,918 shares in the last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on ZTS. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Zoetis from $190.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Zoetis from $260.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $195.00 price target (down from $220.00) on shares of Zoetis in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Zoetis from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $216.13.

Insider Buying and Selling at Zoetis

In other news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 363 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $197.74, for a total transaction of $71,779.62. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 20,417 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,037,257.58. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders have sold a total of 2,209 shares of company stock worth $371,293 over the last ninety days. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Zoetis Stock Performance

NYSE ZTS traded up $8.85 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $167.35. 3,263,847 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,155,434. The stock has a market capitalization of $76.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.13, a P/E/G ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a quick ratio of 2.00, a current ratio of 3.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. Zoetis Inc. has a 1 year low of $144.80 and a 1 year high of $201.92. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $170.07 and its 200-day simple moving average is $178.97.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The company reported $1.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.34 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $2.19 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.14 billion. Zoetis had a net margin of 27.43% and a return on equity of 51.25%. The company’s revenue was up 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.31 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.78 earnings per share for the current year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 19th will be given a $0.432 dividend. This represents a $1.73 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.03%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 18th. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio is currently 34.12%.

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.