Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. Has $1.95 Million Stock Position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. increased its position in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 112.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 9,893 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,226 shares during the quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc.’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $1,953,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ZTS. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC increased 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 valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the period. Independence Bank of Kentucky boosted its position in Zoetis by 371.4% during the fourth quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky now owns 165 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Ramirez Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in Zoetis in the third quarter valued at about $35,000. First Financial Corp IN increased its position in Zoetis by 57.2% in the 4th quarter. First Financial Corp IN now owns 217 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bogart Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of Zoetis by 188.9% during the 3rd quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 260 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 30th. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $195.00 price objective (down from $220.00) on shares of Zoetis in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. StockNews.com lowered Zoetis from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Zoetis from $190.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on Zoetis from $260.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Zoetis has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $216.13.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 923 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.33, for a total value of $159,983.59. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 15,723 shares in the company, valued at $2,725,267.59. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders have sold 2,209 shares of company stock valued at $371,293 over the last three months. 0.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Zoetis Stock Performance

NYSE:ZTS opened at $167.07 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.94, a current ratio of 3.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $168.88 and a 200 day moving average price of $178.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $76.23 billion, a PE ratio of 32.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.86. Zoetis Inc. has a 12-month low of $144.80 and a 12-month high of $201.92.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The company reported $1.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.34 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $2.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.14 billion. Zoetis had a net margin of 27.38% and a return on equity of 50.34%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.31 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 19th will be paid a $0.432 dividend. This represents a $1.73 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.03%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 18th. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio is presently 33.33%.

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.