Childress Capital Advisors LLC Increases Stock Position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Childress Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 30.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 1,599 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 375 shares during the period. Childress Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $261,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Zoetis Trading Up 0.6 %

NYSE:ZTS opened at $171.93 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $169.62 and a 200 day moving average of $179.44. 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 52 week low of $144.80 and a 52 week high of $200.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $77.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.32, a PEG ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.90.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last announced its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $1.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.46 by $0.12. Zoetis had a return on equity of 51.98% and a net margin of 26.55%. The firm had revenue of $2.40 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.29 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.36 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 21st. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.16%. This is an increase from Zoetis’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio is 37.59%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.