Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. Reduces Stock Position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 1.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,198,061 shares of the company’s stock after selling 23,350 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. owned approximately 0.26% of Zoetis worth $236,461,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Zoetis by 222.5% in the 4th quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 129 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Nelson Van Denburg & Campbell Wealth Management Group LLC boosted 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 buying an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. VitalStone Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Zoetis in the 1st quarter worth about $37,000. Evermay Wealth Management LLC boosted 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 buying an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Worth Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Zoetis in the 1st quarter worth about $26,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 923 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $191.43, for a total value of $176,689.89. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 17,569 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,363,233.67. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders have sold 2,209 shares of company stock worth $408,453 in the last three months. 0.15% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Zoetis Price Performance

ZTS stock opened at $149.98 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.00, a current ratio of 3.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. Zoetis Inc. has a 52-week low of $148.48 and a 52-week high of $201.92. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $179.92 and its two-hundred day moving average is $180.91. The company has a market capitalization of $68.59 billion, a PE ratio of 29.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.85.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $1.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 analysts’ expectations of $2.19 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.15 earnings per share. Zoetis’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.432 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 18th. This represents a $1.73 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.15%. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio is presently 34.12%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on ZTS shares. Piper Sandler raised their price target on Zoetis from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on Zoetis from $215.00 to $195.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. StockNews.com lowered Zoetis from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Zoetis from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $230.00 price objective on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Tuesday, December 19th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Zoetis has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $224.88.

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.