IMPACTfolio LLC Reduces Holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

IMPACTfolio LLC lowered its position in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 4.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,572 shares of the company’s stock after selling 118 shares during the period. Zoetis comprises about 0.2% of IMPACTfolio LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 25th largest position. IMPACTfolio LLC’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $419,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Zoetis in the third quarter valued at $31,000. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new position in Zoetis in the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in Zoetis during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Dunhill Financial LLC raised its stake in Zoetis by 80.6% during the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 168 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP lifted its position in Zoetis by 273.2% during the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 209 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares during the period. 92.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Zoetis Price Performance

ZTS stock traded down $0.18 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $162.75. 1,239,996 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,532,374. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $174.12 and its 200-day moving average price is $180.51. 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 stock has a market cap of $73.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.59, a PEG ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.89. Zoetis Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $144.80 and a fifty-two week high of $200.53.

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

Zoetis Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is an increase from Zoetis’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 21st. Zoetis’s payout ratio is currently 37.59%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on ZTS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Zoetis from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 11th. Leerink Partners started coverage on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 price target on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Leerink Partnrs raised Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. Finally, UBS Group started coverage on Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 9th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 price target on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Zoetis currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $215.22.

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.