Trivant Custom Portfolio Group LLC Decreases Holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Trivant Custom Portfolio Group LLC lessened its position in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 9.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,267 shares of the company’s stock after selling 636 shares during the period. Trivant Custom Portfolio Group LLC’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $1,021,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Zoetis in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the third quarter worth $33,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in shares of Zoetis in the third quarter worth $33,000. Dunhill Financial LLC grew its position in shares of Zoetis by 80.6% in the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 168 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP raised its stake in shares of Zoetis by 273.2% during the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 209 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis Stock Performance

Shares of Zoetis stock opened at $166.01 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $74.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.20, a PEG ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 3.69 and a quick ratio of 2.27. Zoetis Inc. has a 1 year low of $144.80 and a 1 year high of $200.53. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $171.15 and its 200 day moving average is $179.99.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last announced its quarterly 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. The company had revenue of $2.40 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.29 billion. Zoetis had a net margin of 26.55% and a return on equity of 51.98%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.36 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.20%. 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 (DPR) is presently 32.52%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on ZTS. 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. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Leerink Partnrs upgraded Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Zoetis from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Finally, Leerink Partners began coverage on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 price target for the company. One equities 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price 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.