Hanson & Doremus Investment Management Raises Stake in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Hanson & Doremus Investment Management increased its stake in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 183.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 508 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 329 shares during the quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $83,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Zoetis in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new position in Zoetis in the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Dunhill Financial LLC grew its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 80.6% during the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 168 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP raised its position in shares of Zoetis by 273.2% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 209 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on ZTS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price 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. Leerink Partners started coverage on Zoetis in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 price objective for the company. Leerink Partnrs upgraded Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note 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. Finally, UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 9th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 price objective for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $215.00.

Zoetis Trading Up 1.4 %

Shares of ZTS stock opened at $172.61 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.27, a current ratio of 3.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. Zoetis Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $144.80 and a fifty-two week high of $200.53. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $169.82 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $179.59. The stock has a market cap of $77.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.89.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $1.58 earnings per share 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 prior year, the company earned $1.36 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.9 EPS for the current year.

Zoetis Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 21st. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.16%. This is a positive change from Zoetis’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.59%.

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.