Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) Shares Acquired by Bank OZK

Bank OZK increased its position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 5.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,808 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 287 shares during the period. Bank OZK’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $1,146,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. 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 worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Moisand Fitzgerald Tamayo LLC boosted its stake in Zoetis by 105.5% in the third quarter. Moisand Fitzgerald Tamayo LLC now owns 187 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the period. Independence Bank of Kentucky boosted its stake in 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. acquired a new position in Zoetis in the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, First Financial Corp IN boosted 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 acquiring an additional 79 shares during the period. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Zoetis Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ZTS traded up $5.06 during trading on Friday, hitting $158.42. The company had a trading volume of 5,236,463 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,019,007. The company has a market cap of $72.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.25, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.85. Zoetis Inc. has a 52 week low of $144.80 and a 52 week high of $201.92. The business’s 50-day moving average is $171.79 and its 200 day moving average is $179.29. 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 posted its quarterly 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). The company had revenue of $2.21 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.19 billion. Zoetis had a net margin of 27.43% and a return on equity of 51.25%. Zoetis’s quarterly revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.15 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 19th will be given a dividend of $0.432 per share. This represents a $1.73 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.09%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 18th. Zoetis’s payout ratio is 34.12%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Zoetis news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 923 shares of Zoetis stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.33, for a total transaction of $159,983.59. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,723 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,725,267.59. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In the last three months, insiders have sold 2,209 shares of company stock worth $371,293. Corporate insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Barclays cut their price target on Zoetis from $260.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $195.00 price target (down previously from $220.00) on shares of Zoetis in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. StockNews.com cut Zoetis from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Zoetis from $190.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on Zoetis from $215.00 to $195.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $218.00.

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.