Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) Stake Lifted by Lincoln National Corp

Lincoln National Corp lifted its position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 167.5% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 21,637 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 13,547 shares during the quarter. Lincoln National Corp’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $4,270,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fielder Capital Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the fourth quarter worth $229,000. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp lifted its stake in Zoetis by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp now owns 20,593 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,064,000 after buying an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System increased its position in shares of Zoetis by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 36,034 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,112,000 after acquiring an additional 384 shares in the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC boosted its stake in Zoetis by 45.9% in the 4th quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 26,593 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,249,000 after purchasing an additional 8,369 shares during the period. Finally, Spire Wealth Management raised its stake in Zoetis by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 25,539 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,811,000 after purchasing an additional 455 shares during the period. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Zoetis Stock Down 0.7 %

NYSE ZTS traded down $1.12 during trading on Monday, hitting $165.95. 3,080,329 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,177,335. Zoetis Inc. has a 12 month low of $144.80 and a 12 month high of $201.92. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $168.25 and a 200 day simple moving average of $178.92. The company has a market capitalization of $75.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.98, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.86. 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 (NYSE:ZTS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The company reported $1.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.34 by $0.04. Zoetis had a return on equity of 50.34% and a net margin of 27.38%. The firm had revenue of $2.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.14 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.31 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.77 EPS for the current year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.04%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 18th. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio is 33.33%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Zoetis

In other Zoetis news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 923 shares of Zoetis stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owns 15,723 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,725,267.59. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders sold 2,209 shares of company stock worth $371,293 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

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.