LVW Advisors LLC Boosts Stake in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

LVW Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 59.4% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 2,343 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 873 shares during the quarter. LVW Advisors LLC’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $382,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on ZTS shares. UBS Group started coverage on Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 9th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 price target for the company. Leerink Partnrs upgraded Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Zoetis from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Leerink Partners assumed coverage on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 price objective for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Zoetis currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $211.89.

Zoetis Trading Down 2.0 %

Shares of ZTS opened at $166.01 on Tuesday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $170.93 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $180.01. Zoetis Inc. has a twelve month low of $144.80 and a twelve month high of $200.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $74.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.20, a PEG ratio of 2.51 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.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last posted its 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 company had revenue of $2.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.29 billion. Zoetis’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.36 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.91 EPS for the current year.

Zoetis Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.20%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 21st. This is an increase from Zoetis’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio is currently 32.52%.

Zoetis Company 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.