Keudell Morrison Wealth Management Reduces Stock Position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Keudell Morrison Wealth Management lessened its holdings in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 7.9% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 1,451 shares of the company’s stock after selling 125 shares during the quarter. Keudell Morrison Wealth Management’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $236,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Zoetis in the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new position in shares of Zoetis during the third quarter valued at about $33,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in Zoetis in the third quarter worth about $33,000. Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its holdings in Zoetis by 80.6% in the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 168 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the period. Finally, Quarry LP boosted its position in shares of Zoetis by 273.2% during the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 209 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis Stock Up 1.4 %

ZTS stock opened at $172.61 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $169.74 and its two-hundred day moving average is $179.54. The company has a market cap of $77.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.45, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 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. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 2.27 and a current ratio of 3.69.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last released 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. The business had revenue of $2.40 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.29 billion. Zoetis had a net margin of 26.55% and a return on equity of 51.98%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.36 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Zoetis Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is a boost from Zoetis’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 21st. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.16%. Zoetis’s payout ratio is 37.59%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ZTS has been the subject of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Zoetis from $248.00 to $243.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. 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. Stifel Nicolaus cut 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 Partnrs raised shares of Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 2nd. Finally, Leerink Partners began coverage on Zoetis in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 price objective 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $215.00.

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.