Townsend Asset Management Corp NC ADV Has $3.90 Million Stock Holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Townsend Asset Management Corp NC ADV raised its stake in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 0.9% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 23,941 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 225 shares during the quarter. Zoetis makes up 1.4% of Townsend Asset Management Corp NC ADV’s portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest position. Townsend Asset Management Corp NC ADV’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $3,901,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 482.8% in the 4th quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 169 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Zoetis during the third quarter worth $31,000. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new position in Zoetis during the third quarter worth $33,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in shares of Zoetis in the third quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC grew its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 80.6% during the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 168 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on ZTS shares. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. UBS Group assumed coverage on Zoetis in a report on Monday, December 9th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Leerink Partnrs upgraded shares of Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $215.90.

Zoetis Price Performance

ZTS opened at $166.96 on Thursday. Zoetis Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $144.80 and a fifty-two week high of $200.33. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $166.57 and a 200 day moving average of $176.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a current ratio of 1.75. The firm has a market cap of $74.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.52, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.94.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.40 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $2.32 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. Zoetis had a net margin of 26.86% and a return on equity of 53.82%. On average, research analysts expect that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 EPS for the current year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.20%. Zoetis’s payout ratio is presently 36.56%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.18, for a total value of $55,804.68. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,107 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,757,196.26. The trade was a 1.98 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

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.