Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI Takes Position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI acquired a new position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 1,335 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $263,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC grew 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 purchasing an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Moisand Fitzgerald Tamayo LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 105.5% during the 3rd quarter. Moisand Fitzgerald Tamayo LLC now owns 187 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky lifted its position in Zoetis by 371.4% during the 4th 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. Ramirez Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Zoetis in the third quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, First Financial Corp IN boosted its position in Zoetis by 57.2% during the fourth 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. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Zoetis

In other news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 363 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 20,417 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,037,257.58. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders have sold a total of 2,209 shares of company stock worth $371,293 in the last quarter. 0.15% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Zoetis Trading Down 0.7 %

NYSE ZTS opened at $145.54 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $66.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.71, a PEG ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 0.85. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $174.45 and its two-hundred day moving average is $179.97. Zoetis Inc. has a 12 month low of $144.80 and a 12 month high of $201.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 3.36 and a quick ratio of 2.00.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last announced 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 net margin of 27.43% and a return on equity of 51.25%. The firm had revenue of $2.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.19 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.15 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Shareholders 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 yield of 1.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 18th. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio is currently 34.12%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Zoetis from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Zoetis from $190.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Zoetis from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $195.00 target price (down from $220.00) on shares of Zoetis in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Zoetis from $215.00 to $195.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $221.75.

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.