Pacer Advisors Inc. Grows Position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 12.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 52,401 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,790 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $8,538,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Pensionfund Sabic increased its stake in Zoetis by 55.6% during the fourth quarter. Pensionfund Sabic now owns 11,200 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,825,000 after acquiring an additional 4,000 shares during the last quarter. PFW Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Zoetis in the 4th quarter worth about $1,764,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 10.6% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,916,539 shares of the company’s stock worth $569,834,000 after acquiring an additional 279,092 shares during the last quarter. Simplify Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Zoetis during the 3rd quarter worth about $11,684,000. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB grew its holdings in Zoetis by 38.3% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,065,514 shares of the company’s stock valued at $336,266,000 after purchasing an additional 572,511 shares during the last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Zoetis Price Performance

Shares of ZTS opened at $170.33 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $76.85 billion, a PE ratio of 32.02, a PEG ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $169.93 and a 200-day moving average price of $179.65. 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 $200.53.

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

Zoetis Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.17%. This is a positive change from Zoetis’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 21st. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio is presently 37.59%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have issued reports on ZTS shares. Leerink Partnrs upgraded Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Zoetis from $248.00 to $243.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Zoetis from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Leerink Partners assumed coverage on shares of Zoetis in a report on Monday, December 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 price target on the stock. Finally, 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. One 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, Zoetis presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target 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.