Nvest Financial LLC Has $1.59 Million Stock Position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Nvest Financial LLC cut its holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 5.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 9,759 shares of the company’s stock after selling 532 shares during the quarter. Nvest Financial LLC’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $1,590,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of ZTS. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Zoetis in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. First Personal Financial Services bought a new stake in Zoetis during the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in Zoetis during the third quarter worth $33,000. Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its stake in shares of Zoetis by 80.6% in the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 168 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP raised its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 273.2% in 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 last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Zoetis Trading Down 1.6 %

Shares of ZTS stock opened at $170.32 on Wednesday. Zoetis Inc. has a 12-month low of $144.80 and a 12-month high of $200.53. 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 company has a 50 day moving average of $169.93 and a 200-day moving average of $179.65. The firm has a market cap of $76.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.02, a PEG ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.89.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last released its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $1.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter was up 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.36 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Zoetis Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.17%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 21st. This is a positive change from Zoetis’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.59%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ZTS has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Leerink Partners started coverage on Zoetis in a report on Monday, December 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group assumed coverage on Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 9th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price 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. Leerink Partnrs raised shares of Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $211.89.

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.