State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D Has $51.83 Million Stake in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D lowered its holdings in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 0.3% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 262,589 shares of the company’s stock after selling 912 shares during the quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $51,827,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Zoetis by 222.5% in the fourth quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 129 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky raised its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 371.4% during 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 period. Moisand Fitzgerald Tamayo LLC lifted its position in Zoetis by 105.5% in the 3rd quarter. Moisand Fitzgerald Tamayo LLC now owns 187 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Ramirez Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Zoetis in the 3rd quarter worth $35,000. Finally, First Financial Corp IN increased its holdings in Zoetis by 57.2% during the 4th quarter. First Financial Corp IN now owns 217 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis Stock Performance

NYSE ZTS traded up $5.06 during trading on Friday, reaching $158.42. 5,236,447 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,117,213. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 3.36 and a quick ratio of 2.00. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $172.39 and a 200-day moving average price of $179.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $72.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.01, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.85. Zoetis Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $144.80 and a fifty-two week high of $201.92.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $1.24 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by ($0.08). Zoetis had a return on equity of 51.25% and a net margin of 27.43%. The business had revenue of $2.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.19 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.15 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.432 per share. This represents a $1.73 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.09%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 18th. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio is presently 34.12%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 2,209 shares of company stock valued at $371,293. Company insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on ZTS. Barclays decreased their price objective on Zoetis from $260.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Zoetis from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and set a $195.00 target price (down previously from $220.00) on shares of Zoetis in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on shares of Zoetis from $215.00 to $195.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $190.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $218.00.

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.