Kavar Capital Partners Group LLC Acquires 4,772 Shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Kavar Capital Partners Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 86.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,268 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 4,772 shares during the quarter. Kavar Capital Partners Group LLC’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $1,673,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of ZTS. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Zoetis during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Dunhill Financial LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 80.6% during the 3rd 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 grew its stake in Zoetis by 273.2% in the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 209 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis Stock Performance

Shares of Zoetis stock opened at $168.63 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $170.10 and a 200-day moving average of $179.75. The company has a market cap of $76.08 billion, a PE ratio of 31.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a current ratio of 3.69, a quick ratio of 2.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. Zoetis Inc. has a 1-year low of $144.80 and a 1-year 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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.46 by $0.12. Zoetis had a return on equity of 51.98% and a net margin of 26.55%. The company had revenue of $2.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.29 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.36 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 21st. This is a positive change from Zoetis’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.19%. Zoetis’s payout ratio is 37.59%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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