Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) Holdings Decreased by Covea Finance

Covea Finance reduced its stake in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 3.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 247,569 shares of the company's stock after selling 8,875 shares during the period. Zoetis accounts for about 1.8% of Covea Finance's investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest holding. Covea Finance owned about 0.05% of Zoetis worth $40,336,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in Zoetis during the 2nd quarter valued at about $474,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in Zoetis by 15.7% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,165,958 shares of the company's stock worth $375,548,000 after buying an additional 294,326 shares in the last quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. increased its position in Zoetis by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 14,709 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,550,000 after acquiring an additional 254 shares during the period. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. raised its stake in Zoetis by 26.2% during the 2nd quarter. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. now owns 99,712 shares of the company's stock valued at $17,286,000 after acquiring an additional 20,681 shares in the last quarter. Finally, L & S Advisors Inc acquired a new position in Zoetis during the 2nd quarter worth $2,584,000. 92.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Zoetis Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ZTS traded up $2.82 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $167.23. The company had a trading volume of 2,988,342 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,677,416. Zoetis Inc. has a 52 week low of $144.80 and a 52 week high of $200.53. The business's 50-day moving average is $171.31 and its 200 day moving average is $180.16. The company has a market cap of $75.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.43, a PEG ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.89. 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 (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $1.58 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.46 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $2.40 billion during 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%. Zoetis's revenue was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.36 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be given a $0.50 dividend. This is an increase from Zoetis's previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.20%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 21st. Zoetis's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.59%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ZTS has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Leerink Partnrs raised Zoetis to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, December 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Leerink Partners started coverage on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $215.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised 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. Finally, UBS Group started coverage on Zoetis in a report on Monday, December 9th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $196.00 target price on the stock. One research 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.com, Zoetis presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $211.89.

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.