Bridgewater Associates LP increased its stake in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS – Free Report) by 142.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 98,987 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 58,107 shares during the period. Bridgewater Associates LP’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $17,047,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of ZTS. Evermay Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Zoetis by 439.3% in the 1st quarter. Evermay Wealth Management LLC now owns 151 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares during the period. Nelson Van Denburg & Campbell Wealth Management Group LLC grew its stake in Zoetis by 430.8% in the 1st quarter. Nelson Van Denburg & Campbell Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 138 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares during the period. Worth Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Zoetis in the 1st quarter worth approximately $26,000. Pacifica Partners Inc. grew its stake in Zoetis by 76.9% in the 2nd quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. now owns 161 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the period. Finally, Altshuler Shaham Ltd purchased a new stake in Zoetis in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. 89.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several research firms have commented on ZTS. StockNews.com cut shares of Zoetis from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, October 8th. Argus boosted their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $190.00 to $201.00 in a research note on Tuesday, September 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $204.00 to $213.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 9th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $205.00 to $195.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 30th. Finally, HSBC began coverage on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Wednesday, September 6th. They set a “buy” rating and a $230.00 price objective for the company. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Zoetis currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $216.29.
Read Our Latest Stock Report on Zoetis
Zoetis Stock Up 0.5 %
Zoetis stock traded up $0.86 during trading on Friday, reaching $180.21. 635,174 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,418,719. The company’s 50-day moving average is $171.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $175.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 2.16 and a current ratio of 3.87. Zoetis Inc. has a 52-week low of $140.76 and a 52-week high of $194.99. The firm has a market cap of $82.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.63, a PEG ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.83.
Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 2nd. The company reported $1.36 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.35 by $0.01. Zoetis had a net margin of 27.24% and a return on equity of 52.22%. The firm had revenue of $2.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.17 billion. On average, analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.41 earnings per share for the current year.
Zoetis Announces Dividend
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 1st will be given a dividend of $0.375 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 31st. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.83%. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.49%.
Insider Buying and Selling
In other Zoetis news, EVP Heidi C. Chen sold 9,905 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.15, for a total value of $1,784,385.75. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 27,478 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,950,161.70. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other Zoetis news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 923 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $179.58, for a total value of $165,752.34. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 24,511 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,401,685.38. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Heidi C. Chen sold 9,905 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.15, for a total transaction of $1,784,385.75. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 27,478 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,950,161.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 26,597 shares of company stock valued at $4,750,570. Company insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.
Zoetis Company Profile
Zoetis Inc discovers, develops, manufactures, and commercializes animal health medicines, vaccines, and diagnostic products in the United States and internationally. It 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.
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