Community Trust & Investment Co. Buys 2,073 Shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Community Trust & Investment Co. raised its stake in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 2.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 108,267 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,073 shares during the quarter. Community Trust & Investment Co.’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $17,640,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Pines Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Zoetis during the 4th quarter valued at $384,000. Fiduciary Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Zoetis in the fourth quarter valued at about $277,000. 180 Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Zoetis by 22.2% during the fourth quarter. 180 Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,716 shares of the company’s stock valued at $606,000 after acquiring an additional 674 shares during the last quarter. Ayrshire Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Ayrshire Capital Management LLC now owns 32,126 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,234,000 after purchasing an additional 787 shares during the period. Finally, AAFMAA Wealth Management & Trust LLC grew its stake in shares of Zoetis by 7.2% in the fourth quarter. AAFMAA Wealth Management & Trust LLC now owns 10,608 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,728,000 after purchasing an additional 717 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis Stock Down 1.2 %

Shares of Zoetis stock opened at $164.31 on Wednesday. Zoetis Inc. has a 1 year low of $144.80 and a 1 year high of $200.53. The firm has a market cap of $74.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.89, a PEG ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a 50-day moving average of $171.31 and a 200 day moving average of $180.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 3.69 and a quick ratio of 2.27.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last announced its 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.29 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.36 earnings per share. The business’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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.22%. This is an increase from Zoetis’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 21st. Zoetis’s payout ratio is 37.59%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ZTS has been the subject of a number of recent 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 research report on Friday, October 11th. Leerink Partners assumed coverage on Zoetis in a report on Monday, December 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 target price for the company. Leerink Partnrs raised Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus decreased 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. Finally, UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Zoetis in a research report on Monday, December 9th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 target price for the company. One investment 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Zoetis presently 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.