Secure Asset Management LLC Increases Stock Position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Secure Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 39.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,297 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 654 shares during the quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $374,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Whalen Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Zoetis during the fourth quarter worth about $271,000. Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Zoetis by 15.1% during the 4th quarter. Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. now owns 165,694 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,997,000 after acquiring an additional 21,750 shares in the last quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 31.4% in the 4th quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 3,691 shares of the company’s stock worth $625,000 after acquiring an additional 882 shares during the period. True North Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Zoetis in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $3,049,000. Finally, Traynor Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in Zoetis by 26.5% during the fourth quarter. Traynor Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,300 shares of the company’s stock worth $212,000 after purchasing an additional 272 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Zoetis Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of Zoetis stock opened at $168.63 on Friday. Zoetis Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $144.80 and a fifty-two week high of $200.53. The business’s fifty day moving average is $170.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $179.71. The company has a quick ratio of 2.27, a current ratio of 3.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The firm has a market cap of $76.08 billion, a PE ratio of 31.70, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.89.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. The business had revenue of $2.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.29 billion. Zoetis had a net margin of 26.55% and a return on equity of 51.98%. The company’s revenue was up 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.36 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Zoetis Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 21st. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.19%. This is a boost from Zoetis’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.59%.

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.