Raymond James & Associates Purchases 181,689 Shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Raymond James & Associates increased its position in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 32.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 748,822 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 181,689 shares during the quarter. Raymond James & Associates owned 0.16% of Zoetis worth $126,708,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of ZTS. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Zoetis by 222.5% during the fourth 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. Webster Bank N. A. lifted its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 89.1% in the first quarter. Webster Bank N. A. now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky lifted 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. Private Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Zoetis in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Ramirez Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Zoetis in the third quarter worth about $35,000. Institutional investors own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Zoetis

In related 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 value of $71,779.62. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 20,417 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,037,257.58. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders sold a total of 2,209 shares of company stock valued at $371,293 in the last quarter. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Zoetis Trading Down 0.3 %

NYSE:ZTS traded down $0.53 on Tuesday, reaching $159.17. 3,647,859 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,147,432. The firm has a market capitalization of $72.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.85. Zoetis Inc. has a 1-year low of $144.80 and a 1-year high of $201.92. The company has a current ratio of 3.36, a quick ratio of 2.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. The company’s 50 day moving average is $170.66 and its 200-day moving average is $179.12.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $1.24 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.32 by ($0.08). The company had revenue of $2.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.19 billion. Zoetis had a return on equity of 51.25% and a net margin of 27.43%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.15 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on ZTS shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of Zoetis from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $195.00 price objective (down previously from $220.00) on shares of Zoetis in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $190.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. Barclays dropped their price objective 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. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of Zoetis from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $216.13.

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.