Rise Advisors LLC Lowers Stake in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Rise Advisors LLC cut its stake in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 11.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 574 shares of the company’s stock after selling 75 shares during the quarter. Rise Advisors LLC’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $93,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Zoetis Stock Performance

Shares of ZTS traded down $3.60 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $162.30. The company had a trading volume of 1,211,980 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,084,593. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $173.07 and a two-hundred day moving average of $180.47. 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 $73.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.51, a PEG ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.89. Zoetis Inc. has a 52-week low of $144.80 and a 52-week high of $200.53.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $1.58 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 earned $1.36 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Zoetis Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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. 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 1.23%. This is an increase from Zoetis’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio is 37.59%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on ZTS. Leerink Partners started coverage on Zoetis in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group initiated coverage on Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 9th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 price target for the company. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted 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. Finally, Leerink Partnrs upgraded shares of Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, nine 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 stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $211.89.

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.