Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. Grows Holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 1.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 31,466 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 374 shares during the period. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc.’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $5,324,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Zoetis by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,386 shares of the company’s stock worth $866,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Forum Financial Management LP lifted its stake in Zoetis by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 7,386 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,458,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Zoetis by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,640 shares of the company’s stock valued at $324,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Prossimo Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Zoetis by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Prossimo Advisors LLC now owns 3,498 shares of the company’s stock valued at $690,000 after buying an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Finally, River Street Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. River Street Advisors LLC now owns 1,757 shares of the company’s stock valued at $347,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Zoetis Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ZTS opened at $174.81 on Wednesday. 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 business’s 50 day moving average is $169.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $178.40. The company has a market cap of $79.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.69 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The company reported $1.38 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.34 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $2.19 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.14 billion. Zoetis had a return on equity of 50.34% and a net margin of 27.38%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.31 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.76 EPS for the current year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 18th will be given a dividend of $0.432 per share. This represents a $1.73 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.99%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 18th. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio is presently 33.33%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on ZTS shares. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Zoetis from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on Zoetis from $223.00 to $196.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 6th. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $195.00 price target (down previously from $220.00) on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. HSBC decreased their price objective on Zoetis from $230.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target 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, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Zoetis has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $211.75.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 923 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 18th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,237,316. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Zoetis

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.