Ninety One North America Inc. Trims Position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Ninety One North America Inc. lowered its position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 11.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,282 shares of the company’s stock after selling 430 shares during the quarter. Ninety One North America Inc.’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $535,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ZTS. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB raised its position in shares of Zoetis by 11.6% during the 4th quarter. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB now owns 20,750 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,381,000 after buying an additional 2,150 shares during the period. Mather Group LLC. grew its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 3,398 shares of the company’s stock worth $554,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the period. Rockline Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Zoetis by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Rockline Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,823 shares of the company’s stock worth $949,000 after purchasing an additional 252 shares during the last quarter. Calamos Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Zoetis by 21.0% in the 4th quarter. Calamos Wealth Management LLC now owns 84,030 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,691,000 after buying an additional 14,568 shares during the period. Finally, Calamos Advisors LLC lifted its position in Zoetis by 15.0% in the fourth quarter. Calamos Advisors LLC now owns 210,885 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,359,000 after buying an additional 27,579 shares during the last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Zoetis Stock Performance

Shares of ZTS opened at $172.24 on Wednesday. Zoetis Inc. has a 1 year low of $144.80 and a 1 year high of $200.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $77.71 billion, a PE ratio of 32.38, a PEG ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 2.27 and a current ratio of 3.69. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $169.48 and a 200-day simple moving average of $179.39.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last issued its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $1.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.46 by $0.12. Zoetis had a net margin of 26.55% and a return on equity of 51.98%. The firm 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 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on ZTS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Zoetis from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Leerink Partnrs raised Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Zoetis from $248.00 to $243.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on 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 initiated coverage on Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 target price on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $215.00.

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.