UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp Boosts Holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp increased its holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 0.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 20,593 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 163 shares during the period. Zoetis makes up about 1.2% of UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp’s holdings, making the stock its 29th biggest holding. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $4,064,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in ZTS. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Zoetis by 222.5% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky lifted its holdings in Zoetis by 371.4% in the fourth quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky now owns 165 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 130 shares during the period. Ramirez Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Zoetis during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. First Financial Corp IN raised its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Zoetis by 42.1% in the 3rd quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC now owns 260 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 923 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, 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 is available at the SEC website. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 2,209 shares of company stock worth $371,293. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis Price Performance

ZTS traded up $2.50 on Tuesday, hitting $168.45. 3,318,087 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,178,934. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $168.25 and its 200-day simple moving average is $178.92. The company has a current ratio of 3.33, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30. Zoetis Inc. has a one year low of $144.80 and a one year high of $201.92. The firm has a market cap of $76.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.86.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The company reported $1.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.34 by $0.04. Zoetis had a net margin of 27.38% and a return on equity of 50.34%. The company had revenue of $2.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.14 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.31 earnings per share. Zoetis’s quarterly revenue was up 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.77 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on ZTS shares. StockNews.com cut shares of Zoetis from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on Zoetis from $223.00 to $196.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Barclays dropped their target price on Zoetis from $260.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and set a $195.00 price objective (down from $220.00) on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Zoetis from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 30th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Zoetis currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $212.38.

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.