Howe & Rusling Inc. Boosts Stake in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Howe & Rusling Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 8.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,638 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 132 shares during the period. Howe & Rusling Inc.’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $320,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of ZTS. Mizuho Securities USA LLC grew its stake in shares of Zoetis by 13,726.9% during the 3rd quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 4,865,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $950,524,000 after acquiring an additional 4,829,815 shares during the period. Sarasin & Partners LLP increased its stake in Zoetis by 546.3% in the 2nd quarter. Sarasin & Partners LLP now owns 2,253,590 shares of the company’s stock worth $390,682,000 after buying an additional 1,904,899 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB purchased a new stake in Zoetis in the 1st quarter worth $210,815,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Zoetis by 41,235.7% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 939,974 shares of the company’s stock valued at $183,652,000 after acquiring an additional 937,700 shares during the period. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP boosted its stake in shares of Zoetis by 7,608.6% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 835,684 shares of the company’s stock worth $144,874,000 after acquiring an additional 824,843 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis Price Performance

Shares of ZTS stock opened at $175.67 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $186.18 and a 200 day moving average price of $180.47. Zoetis Inc. has a 52-week low of $144.80 and a 52-week high of $201.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 2.27 and a current ratio of 3.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $79.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.02, a P/E/G ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.90.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $1.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.46 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $2.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.29 billion. Zoetis had a net margin of 26.55% and a return on equity of 51.98%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.36 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 31st will be given a $0.432 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 31st. This represents a $1.73 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.98%. Zoetis’s payout ratio is presently 32.52%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Zoetis from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Argus upgraded Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. BTIG Research increased their price target on Zoetis from $220.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 11th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their price target on Zoetis from $195.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $221.44.

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.