Park Avenue Securities LLC Grows Stock Position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Park Avenue Securities LLC boosted its position in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 4.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 24,148 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 997 shares during the quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $3,934,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Zoetis during the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new position in shares of Zoetis during the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in shares of Zoetis during the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Dunhill Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 80.6% in the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 168 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the period. Finally, Quarry LP lifted its stake in shares of Zoetis by 273.2% during the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 209 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis Price Performance

Shares of ZTS stock opened at $169.30 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $76.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.82, a PEG ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 3.69 and a quick ratio of 2.27. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $171.25 and its 200 day moving average is $180.07. Zoetis Inc. has a 1-year low of $144.80 and a 1-year high of $200.53.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $1.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $2.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.29 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.36 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is a positive change from Zoetis’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 21st. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.18%. Zoetis’s payout ratio is presently 32.52%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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