15,000 Shares in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) Acquired by Sivik Global Healthcare LLC

Sivik Global Healthcare LLC bought a new position in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund bought 15,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,444,000. Zoetis comprises approximately 1.3% of Sivik Global Healthcare LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest position.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Mizuho Securities USA LLC boosted its stake in Zoetis by 13,726.9% during the third quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 4,865,000 shares of the company's stock worth $950,524,000 after buying an additional 4,829,815 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Zoetis by 41,235.7% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 939,974 shares of the company's stock worth $183,652,000 after buying an additional 937,700 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its holdings in Zoetis by 296.9% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 889,444 shares of the company's stock valued at $144,917,000 after purchasing an additional 665,331 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its stake in shares of Zoetis by 38.3% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,065,514 shares of the company's stock valued at $336,266,000 after buying an additional 572,511 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP purchased a new stake in Zoetis during the third quarter worth about $110,809,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.80% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on ZTS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 9th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $196.00 price target for the company. Leerink Partnrs upgraded Zoetis to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Leerink Partners started coverage on Zoetis in a report on Monday, December 2nd. They set an "outperform" rating and a $215.00 price target on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Zoetis has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $215.00.

Zoetis Stock Performance

Shares of Zoetis stock opened at $172.67 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $77.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.89. 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 firm's 50 day moving average is $169.93 and its two-hundred day moving average is $179.65.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $1.58 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.46 by $0.12. Zoetis had a net margin of 26.55% and a return on equity of 51.98%. The firm had revenue of $2.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.29 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.36 EPS. Zoetis's revenue for the quarter was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.9 EPS for the current fiscal 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 given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 21st. 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 dividend yield of 1.16%. Zoetis's dividend payout ratio is 37.59%.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ZTS? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.