Avitas Wealth Management LLC Buys 6,828 Shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Avitas Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 359.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,729 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,828 shares during the quarter. Avitas Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $1,422,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of ZTS. Ninety One UK Ltd lifted its stake in Zoetis by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 1,688,891 shares of the company’s stock worth $275,171,000 after purchasing an additional 12,314 shares in the last quarter. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB increased its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 11.6% in the fourth quarter. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB now owns 20,750 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,381,000 after purchasing an additional 2,150 shares during the period. Mather Group LLC. raised its position in shares of Zoetis by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 3,398 shares of the company’s stock worth $554,000 after buying an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Rockline Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Zoetis by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. Rockline Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,823 shares of the company’s stock valued at $949,000 after buying an additional 252 shares during the period. Finally, Calamos Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Zoetis by 21.0% during the fourth quarter. Calamos Wealth Management LLC now owns 84,030 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,691,000 after buying an additional 14,568 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ZTS opened at $172.24 on Wednesday. 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 stock has a market cap of $77.71 billion, a PE ratio of 32.38, a PEG ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.90. The company’s fifty day moving average is $169.48 and its 200 day moving average is $179.39. Zoetis Inc. has a 52 week low of $144.80 and a 52 week high of $200.53.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $1.58 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.46 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $2.40 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.29 billion. Zoetis had a return on equity of 51.98% and a net margin of 26.55%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.36 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Zoetis Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This is a boost from Zoetis’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.16%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 21st. Zoetis’s payout ratio is 37.59%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on ZTS. Leerink Partners began coverage on Zoetis in a report on Monday, December 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group started coverage on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 9th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target 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 report on Monday, December 2nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of 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, ten have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $215.00.

Zoetis 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.