Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) Shares Sold by Sandy Cove Advisors LLC

Sandy Cove Advisors LLC cut its stake in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 11.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,458 shares of the company’s stock after selling 181 shares during the period. Sandy Cove Advisors LLC’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $238,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Zoetis during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new position in Zoetis during the third quarter valued at $33,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in Zoetis during the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Dunhill Financial LLC grew its stake in Zoetis by 80.6% during the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 168 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP increased its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 273.2% in the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 209 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the period. 92.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Zoetis Trading Down 2.0 %

Shares of Zoetis stock opened at $166.01 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $170.93 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $179.95. 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 company has a market capitalization of $74.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.20, a P/E/G ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.89. 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, 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 business had revenue of $2.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.29 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.36 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.91 EPS for the current year.

Zoetis Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is an increase 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 is Tuesday, January 21st. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio is currently 32.52%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on ZTS. Leerink Partners started coverage on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 price target on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. 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 research note on Friday, October 11th. Leerink Partnrs upgraded shares of Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 9th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 price objective on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $211.89.

About Zoetis

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.