Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) Shares Sold by Yousif Capital Management LLC

Yousif Capital Management LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 4.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 67,049 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,137 shares during the period. Yousif Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $10,924,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Zoetis during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the third quarter valued at $33,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in shares of Zoetis in the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Dunhill Financial LLC raised its stake in Zoetis by 80.6% in the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 168 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its position in Zoetis by 1,387.5% during the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 238 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 222 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis Trading Up 2.0 %

ZTS stock opened at $175.65 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.27, a current ratio of 3.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. Zoetis Inc. has a 52-week low of $144.80 and a 52-week high of $200.53. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $169.41 and its 200-day simple moving average is $179.35. The firm has a market cap of $79.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.02, a PEG ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.90.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $1.58 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.46 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $2.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.29 billion. Zoetis had a return on equity of 51.98% and a net margin of 26.55%. Zoetis’s quarterly revenue was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.36 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 21st. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.14%. This is a boost from Zoetis’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.59%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on ZTS. Leerink Partnrs raised Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Zoetis from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. 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 research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Leerink Partners initiated coverage on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Zoetis from $248.00 to $243.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Zoetis has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $215.00.

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.