Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) Shares Sold by Capital Planning Advisors LLC

Capital Planning Advisors LLC cut its position in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 21.1% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 11,887 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,174 shares during the period. Capital Planning Advisors LLC’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $1,937,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of ZTS. Whalen Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Zoetis in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $271,000. Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. raised its stake in shares of Zoetis by 15.1% in the 4th quarter. Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. now owns 165,694 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,997,000 after acquiring an additional 21,750 shares during the period. Mutual Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 31.4% during the 4th quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 3,691 shares of the company’s stock valued at $625,000 after acquiring an additional 882 shares in the last quarter. True North Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Zoetis during the 4th quarter worth $3,049,000. Finally, Traynor Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Zoetis by 26.5% in the 4th quarter. Traynor Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,300 shares of the company’s stock valued at $212,000 after purchasing an additional 272 shares in the last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Zoetis Price Performance

ZTS opened at $166.64 on Thursday. 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 Inc. has a 1-year low of $144.80 and a 1-year high of $200.53. The company has a 50-day moving average of $170.39 and a 200-day moving average of $179.80. The company has a market capitalization of $75.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.32, a PEG ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.89.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last announced 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 firm had revenue of $2.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.29 billion. Zoetis had a return on equity of 51.98% and a net margin of 26.55%. Zoetis’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.36 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.9 EPS for the current fiscal 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 paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is a positive change 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.20%. Zoetis’s payout ratio is presently 37.59%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on 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. Leerink Partnrs upgraded Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 11th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $211.89.

Zoetis Company 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.