Fiduciary Financial Group LLC Takes Position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Fiduciary Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 1,698 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $277,000.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ZTS. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. First Personal Financial Services bought a new stake in Zoetis during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in shares of Zoetis during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Dunhill Financial LLC raised its position in shares of Zoetis by 80.6% in the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 168 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP lifted its stake in shares of Zoetis by 273.2% in the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 209 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on ZTS shares. UBS Group started coverage on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 9th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 price objective on the stock. Leerink Partners began coverage on Zoetis in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Zoetis from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Leerink Partnrs raised Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $211.89.

Zoetis Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ZTS opened at $167.23 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.27, a current ratio of 3.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The stock has a market capitalization of $75.45 billion, a PE ratio of 31.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.89. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $171.31 and its 200-day moving average price is $180.16. Zoetis Inc. has a twelve month low of $144.80 and a twelve month high of $200.53.

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

Zoetis Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be given a $0.50 dividend. This is a boost from Zoetis’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 21st. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.20%. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio is presently 37.59%.

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.