Golden State Equity Partners Takes $230,000 Position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Golden State Equity Partners acquired a new stake in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 1,165 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $230,000.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 89 shares during the period. Independence Bank of Kentucky boosted its position in shares of Zoetis by 371.4% in the fourth quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky now owns 165 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the period. Ramirez Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Zoetis in the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. First Financial Corp IN raised its stake in Zoetis by 57.2% in the fourth quarter. First Financial Corp IN now owns 217 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in Zoetis by 42.1% in the third quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC now owns 260 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on ZTS shares. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Zoetis from $260.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $195.00 target price (down from $220.00) on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of 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 downgraded shares of Zoetis from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Zoetis from $190.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $218.00.

Insider Transactions at Zoetis

In other news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 923 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.17, for a total value of $139,529.91. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 14,800 shares in the company, valued at $2,237,316. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 2,209 shares of company stock worth $371,293. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis Trading Up 3.3 %

ZTS stock opened at $158.42 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $72.45 billion, a PE ratio of 31.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.85. Zoetis Inc. has a one year low of $144.80 and a one year high of $201.92. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $171.79 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $179.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 2.00 and a current ratio of 3.36.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last issued its earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $2.21 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.19 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.15 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 19th will be issued a $0.432 dividend. 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 is 34.12%.

Zoetis Company 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.