West Coast Financial LLC Raises Stock Position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

West Coast Financial LLC increased its position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 1.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 70,593 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,130 shares during the period. Zoetis makes up about 1.3% of West Coast Financial LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest position. West Coast Financial LLC’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $11,502,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brady Family Wealth LLC grew its stake in Zoetis by 18.6% during the fourth quarter. Brady Family Wealth LLC now owns 1,416 shares of the company’s stock worth $231,000 after buying an additional 222 shares during the period. Outlook Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Zoetis by 66.9% during the 4th quarter. Outlook Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,371 shares of the company’s stock valued at $875,000 after acquiring an additional 2,153 shares during the last quarter. Burney Co. raised its stake in shares of Zoetis by 15.2% in the 4th quarter. Burney Co. now owns 4,749 shares of the company’s stock valued at $774,000 after purchasing an additional 627 shares in the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. lifted its position in shares of Zoetis by 25.5% during the fourth quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 6,565 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,070,000 after purchasing an additional 1,334 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC increased its holdings in Zoetis by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 24,148 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,934,000 after buying an additional 997 shares during the last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Zoetis Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ZTS opened at $166.95 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $171.31 and a two-hundred day moving average of $180.16. 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 fifty-two week low of $144.80 and a fifty-two week high of $200.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $75.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.38, a P/E/G ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.89.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last released 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 firm had revenue of $2.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.29 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.36 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Increases Dividend

The firm 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 of this dividend is Tuesday, January 21st. This is a positive change from Zoetis’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.20%. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 32.52%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ZTS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Leerink Partners assumed coverage on Zoetis in a report on Monday, December 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 price target for the company. Leerink Partnrs raised shares of Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 2nd. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Zoetis in a report on Monday, December 9th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 price target for the company. Stifel Nicolaus lowered 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, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Zoetis from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. One research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $211.89.

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.