Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Grows Stake in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 15.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 72,453 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 9,451 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $14,155,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Zoetis during the third quarter valued at about $31,000. First Personal Financial Services bought a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in Zoetis in the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. Quarry LP raised its stake in Zoetis by 273.2% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 209 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LRI Investments LLC bought a new position in Zoetis in the first quarter worth approximately $43,000. 92.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Zoetis Stock Performance

NYSE:ZTS opened at $176.96 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 2.27 and a current ratio of 3.69. Zoetis Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $144.80 and a fifty-two week high of $201.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $79.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.26, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $185.62 and a 200 day moving average price of $180.72.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $1.58 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.46 by $0.12. Zoetis had a net margin of 26.55% and a return on equity of 51.98%. The company had revenue of $2.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.29 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.36 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.9 EPS for the current year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 31st will be given a dividend of $0.432 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 31st. This represents a $1.73 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.98%. Zoetis’s payout ratio is currently 32.52%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on ZTS shares. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. BTIG Research upped their price target on shares of Zoetis from $220.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $195.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Zoetis presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $221.44.

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.