Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. Purchases 749 Shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 142,060 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 749 shares during the quarter. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $24,464,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in ZTS. Evermay Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Zoetis by 439.3% in the first quarter. Evermay Wealth Management LLC now owns 151 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. Nelson Van Denburg & Campbell Wealth Management Group LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the period. Worth Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Zoetis in the 1st quarter worth approximately $26,000. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Zoetis by 1,160.0% during the 1st quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 189 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 174 shares during the period. Finally, Tortoise Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Zoetis by 201.5% in the 1st quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 202 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.47% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis Trading Down 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE ZTS traded down $2.49 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $180.25. The stock had a trading volume of 3,262,647 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,421,566. The firm has a market cap of $82.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.78. Zoetis Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $124.15 and a fifty-two week high of $194.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 3.50 and a quick ratio of 1.97. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $183.65 and its 200 day simple moving average is $175.23.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 8th. The company reported $1.41 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.31 by $0.10. Zoetis had a return on equity of 52.02% and a net margin of 26.92%. The firm had revenue of $2.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.16 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.20 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.42 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Zoetis

In other Zoetis news, CEO Kristin C. Peck sold 13,000 shares of Zoetis stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $179.97, for a total transaction of $2,339,610.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 56,843 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,230,034.71. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 923 shares of Zoetis stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.97, for a total transaction of $178,111.31. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 25,434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,907,998.98. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Kristin C. Peck sold 13,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $179.97, for a total transaction of $2,339,610.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 56,843 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,230,034.71. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 15,102 shares of company stock worth $2,741,661 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on ZTS. HSBC initiated coverage on Zoetis in a research note on Wednesday, September 6th. They set a “buy” rating and a $230.00 price objective for the company. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 14th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Zoetis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Zoetis from $204.00 to $213.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 9th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $205.00 price objective on shares of Zoetis in a research report on Tuesday, September 12th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $225.13.

Zoetis 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.