Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Acquires 7,455 Shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 4.5% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 171,416 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,455 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $29,520,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich lifted its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 163,671.8% during the second quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 480,424,669 shares of the company’s stock valued at $82,733,932,000 after acquiring an additional 480,131,319 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Zoetis in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $745,861,000. Morgan Stanley boosted its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 34.6% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 10,872,704 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,593,395,000 after acquiring an additional 2,796,694 shares in the last quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in Zoetis by 124,281.9% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,332,160 shares of the company’s stock worth $341,778,000 after acquiring an additional 2,330,285 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its holdings in Zoetis by 27.3% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 10,275,493 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,710,254,000 after purchasing an additional 2,204,517 shares in the last quarter. 89.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Zoetis

In other Zoetis news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 923 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.92, for a total value of $159,605.16. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 23,588 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,078,836.96. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 923 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.92, for a total value of $159,605.16. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 23,588 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,078,836.96. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Heidi C. Chen sold 9,905 shares of Zoetis stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.15, for a total transaction of $1,784,385.75. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 27,478 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,950,161.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 25,674 shares of company stock worth $4,627,465 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on ZTS shares. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Zoetis from $205.00 to $195.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 30th. HSBC initiated coverage on shares of Zoetis in a research report on Wednesday, September 6th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $230.00 price objective for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target 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. StockNews.com cut shares of Zoetis from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, October 8th. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their price objective on Zoetis from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 6th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $216.29.

Zoetis Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE ZTS opened at $174.80 on Monday. Zoetis Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $140.76 and a fifty-two week high of $194.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $80.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 3.87 and a quick ratio of 2.16. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $171.85 and its 200 day simple moving average is $175.65.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 1st will be given a $0.375 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 31st. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.86%. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.49%.

About Zoetis

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.