Marshall Financial Group LLC Purchases New Stake in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Marshall Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 9,357 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,525,000.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. AE Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 9.5% during the second quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,988 shares of the company’s stock worth $345,000 after buying an additional 172 shares in the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board raised its stake in Zoetis by 69.1% in the 2nd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 17,281 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,996,000 after purchasing an additional 7,061 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Zoetis by 14.1% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 97,480 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,899,000 after purchasing an additional 12,063 shares in the last quarter. MBB Public Markets I LLC bought a new stake in Zoetis in the 2nd quarter valued at about $5,536,000. Finally, Peloton Wealth Strategists grew its position in shares of Zoetis by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. Peloton Wealth Strategists now owns 10,201 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,768,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares in the last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Zoetis Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE ZTS opened at $168.63 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $76.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.70, a PEG 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 12 month low of $144.80 and a 12 month high of $200.53. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $170.10 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $179.66.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $1.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.46 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $2.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 period in the prior year, the company earned $1.36 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast 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. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 21st. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.19%. This is a positive change from Zoetis’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. Zoetis’s payout ratio is currently 37.59%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ZTS has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Leerink Partnrs upgraded shares of Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Zoetis from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price 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 began 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. Finally, Leerink Partners began coverage on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 price objective on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Zoetis 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.