Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. Sells 924 Shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 5.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,817 shares of the company’s stock after selling 924 shares during the quarter. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $2,577,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Mizuho Securities USA LLC increased its holdings in Zoetis by 13,726.9% during the 3rd quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 4,865,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $950,524,000 after acquiring an additional 4,829,815 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 41,235.7% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 939,974 shares of the company’s stock worth $183,652,000 after purchasing an additional 937,700 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 296.9% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 889,444 shares of the company’s stock worth $144,917,000 after purchasing an additional 665,331 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its position in shares of Zoetis by 38.3% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,065,514 shares of the company’s stock worth $336,266,000 after buying an additional 572,511 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP bought a new stake in Zoetis during the third quarter valued at $110,809,000. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Zoetis Stock Down 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE:ZTS opened at $171.37 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $77.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.90. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $169.26 and its 200-day moving average price is $179.22. The company has a current ratio of 3.69, a quick ratio of 2.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. Zoetis Inc. has a 12-month low of $144.80 and a 12-month high of $200.53.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, April 21st will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 21st. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.17%. Zoetis’s payout ratio is 37.59%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ZTS has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Leerink Partners initiated coverage on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 target price on the stock. Leerink Partnrs upgraded shares of Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Zoetis from $248.00 to $243.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Zoetis in a report on Monday, December 9th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 price objective for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $215.00.

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.