Curbstone Financial Management Corp Raises Stock Position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Curbstone Financial Management Corp raised its holdings in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 1.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,480 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 140 shares during the quarter. Curbstone Financial Management Corp’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $1,870,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Mizuho Securities USA LLC raised its stake in Zoetis by 13,726.9% during the 3rd quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 4,865,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $950,524,000 after purchasing an additional 4,829,815 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Zoetis by 41,235.7% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 939,974 shares of the company’s stock valued at $183,652,000 after buying an additional 937,700 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its position in shares of Zoetis by 296.9% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 889,444 shares of the company’s stock valued at $144,917,000 after buying an additional 665,331 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 38.3% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,065,514 shares of the company’s stock worth $336,266,000 after buying an additional 572,511 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP bought a new position in shares of Zoetis during the third quarter worth $110,809,000. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Zoetis Stock Up 2.6 %

NYSE ZTS opened at $173.07 on Tuesday. Zoetis Inc. has a 52 week low of $144.80 and a 52 week high of $200.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $78.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.53, a PEG ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.89. 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 fifty day moving average of $170.10 and a two-hundred day moving average of $179.75.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $2.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.29 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.36 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter 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 year.

Zoetis Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.16%. This is an increase from Zoetis’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 21st. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio is presently 37.59%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on the stock. UBS Group started coverage on shares of Zoetis in a report on Monday, December 9th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 price target on the stock. Leerink Partnrs raised Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Zoetis from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 11th. Finally, Leerink Partners assumed coverage on Zoetis in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 target price for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Zoetis currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average 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.