Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc. Sells 1,138 Shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc. lowered its stake in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 1.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 85,626 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,138 shares during the period. Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $13,951,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Moors & Cabot Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Zoetis by 1.8% in the second quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 14,709 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,550,000 after buying an additional 254 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Alliance raised its holdings in Zoetis by 6.2% in the 2nd quarter. Wealth Alliance now owns 12,759 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,212,000 after acquiring an additional 750 shares during the period. Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co boosted its holdings in Zoetis by 94.0% during the second quarter. Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co now owns 47,922 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,308,000 after acquiring an additional 23,225 shares during the period. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV grew its position in shares of Zoetis by 12.3% in the second quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 49,298 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,530,000 after purchasing an additional 5,384 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Argent Trust Co increased its stake in shares of Zoetis by 10.2% in the second quarter. Argent Trust Co now owns 22,902 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,970,000 after purchasing an additional 2,125 shares during the period. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Zoetis Stock Performance

Shares of Zoetis stock opened at $166.95 on Thursday. Zoetis Inc. has a 12 month low of $144.80 and a 12 month high of $200.53. The company has a current ratio of 3.69, a quick ratio of 2.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The company has a market capitalization of $75.32 billion, a PE ratio of 31.38, a PEG ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.89. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $171.31 and its 200 day simple moving average is $180.16.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $1.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.46 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $2.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.29 billion. Zoetis had a return on equity of 51.98% and a net margin of 26.55%. Zoetis’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.36 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.91 EPS for the current year.

Zoetis Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is a boost from Zoetis’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 21st. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio is currently 32.52%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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.