DAVENPORT & Co LLC Boosts Position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

DAVENPORT & Co LLC boosted its holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 11.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 62,078 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 6,272 shares during the quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC's holdings in Zoetis were worth $10,113,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Zoetis in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new position in Zoetis in the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in Zoetis in the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Dunhill Financial LLC raised its holdings in Zoetis by 80.6% during the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 168 shares of the company's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP lifted its position in shares of Zoetis by 273.2% during the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 209 shares of the company's stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.80% of the company's stock.

Zoetis Stock Performance

Shares of ZTS stock traded up $0.30 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $172.24. The stock had a trading volume of 2,696,175 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,685,644. The firm 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 50-day simple moving average is $169.48 and its 200-day simple moving average is $179.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 3.69 and a quick ratio of 2.27. Zoetis Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $144.80 and a fifty-two week high of $200.53.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $1.58 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.46 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $2.40 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.29 billion. Zoetis had a net margin of 26.55% and a return on equity of 51.98%. The firm's revenue was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.36 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Zoetis Increases Dividend

The firm 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 is an increase 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 payout ratio is 37.59%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Leerink Partnrs raised shares of Zoetis to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. UBS Group started coverage on Zoetis in a report on Monday, December 9th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $196.00 price objective on the stock. Leerink Partners initiated coverage on Zoetis in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $215.00 target price for the company. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Zoetis from $248.00 to $243.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. One research 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $215.00.

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.