Banco Santander S.A. Grows Stock Position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Banco Santander S.A. grew its holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 9.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 16,711 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,489 shares during the quarter. Banco Santander S.A.’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $2,723,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Callahan Advisors LLC grew its position in Zoetis by 90.4% during the 4th quarter. Callahan Advisors LLC now owns 13,105 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,135,000 after purchasing an additional 6,221 shares during the last quarter. Pensionfund Sabic grew its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 55.6% during the fourth quarter. Pensionfund Sabic now owns 11,200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,825,000 after buying an additional 4,000 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its position in shares of Zoetis by 24.1% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 237,369 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,617,000 after acquiring an additional 46,050 shares during the period. PFW Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Zoetis in the 4th quarter worth $1,764,000. Finally, Alberta Investment Management Corp lifted its position in Zoetis by 2,050.0% during the 4th quarter. Alberta Investment Management Corp now owns 30,100 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,904,000 after acquiring an additional 28,700 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group started coverage on Zoetis in a report on Monday, December 9th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Zoetis from $242.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. StockNews.com raised shares of Zoetis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Leerink Partners began coverage on Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 target price on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $215.90.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of Zoetis 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis Stock Up 1.8 %

Shares of ZTS opened at $170.34 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $76.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.14, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.94. Zoetis Inc. has a 12 month low of $144.80 and a 12 month high of $200.33. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $166.72 and its two-hundred day moving average is $176.78. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09.

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

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 21st. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.17%. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.56%.

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.