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

Curbstone Financial Management Corp raised its stake in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 1.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 11,480 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 140 shares during the period. Curbstone Financial Management Corp’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $1,870,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new position in Zoetis during the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in Zoetis during the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Dunhill Financial LLC raised its position in shares of Zoetis by 80.6% in the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 168 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP raised its holdings in Zoetis by 273.2% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 209 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Zoetis Stock Up 2.6 %

Shares of 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 company has a quick ratio of 2.27, a current ratio of 3.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The business has a fifty day moving average of $170.10 and a two-hundred day moving average of $179.75. The stock has a market cap of $78.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.53, a PEG ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.89.

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 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.29 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.36 earnings per share. Zoetis’s revenue was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.9 earnings per share for the current 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 given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.16%. This is a positive change from Zoetis’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 21st. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio is presently 37.59%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 11th. UBS Group assumed coverage on Zoetis in a report on Monday, December 9th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 price target for the company. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Leerink Partnrs upgraded shares of Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. One investment 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock 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.