Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Raises Stock Position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 0.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,322,271 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,138 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned about 0.72% of Zoetis worth $651,493,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ZTS. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Zoetis by 222.5% during the 4th quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 129 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the period. Independence Bank of Kentucky raised its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 371.4% in the fourth quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky now owns 165 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Ramirez Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the 3rd quarter worth about $35,000. First Financial Corp IN grew its stake in Zoetis by 57.2% in the 4th quarter. First Financial Corp IN now owns 217 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the period. Finally, Bogart Wealth LLC increased its stake in Zoetis by 188.9% in the third quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 260 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 363 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 20,417 shares in the company, valued at $4,037,257.58. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders have sold a total of 2,209 shares of company stock valued at $371,293 over the last 90 days. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Zoetis Trading Up 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE:ZTS traded up $2.50 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $168.45. The company had a trading volume of 3,318,087 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,179,154. The company has a current ratio of 3.33, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30. The stock has a market cap of $76.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.46, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.86. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $167.64 and a 200 day simple moving average of $178.93. Zoetis Inc. has a 12 month low of $144.80 and a 12 month high of $201.92.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The company reported $1.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.34 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $2.19 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.14 billion. Zoetis had a return on equity of 50.34% and a net margin of 27.38%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.31 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.77 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on ZTS shares. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on Zoetis from $223.00 to $196.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. StockNews.com downgraded Zoetis from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $195.00 price objective (down previously from $220.00) on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on Zoetis from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 30th. Finally, Barclays reduced 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. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, Zoetis currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $212.38.

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.