Fiduciary Financial Group LLC Takes Position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Fiduciary Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 1,698 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $277,000.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of ZTS. Moors & Cabot Inc. lifted its holdings in Zoetis by 1.8% during the second quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 14,709 shares of the company's stock worth $2,550,000 after buying an additional 254 shares during the period. Wealth Alliance raised its position in shares of Zoetis by 6.2% in the 2nd quarter. Wealth Alliance now owns 12,759 shares of the company's stock worth $2,212,000 after acquiring an additional 750 shares in the last quarter. Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co lifted its stake in shares of Zoetis by 94.0% during the 2nd quarter. Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co now owns 47,922 shares of the company's stock worth $8,308,000 after purchasing an additional 23,225 shares during the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV boosted its position in Zoetis by 12.3% during the second quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 49,298 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,530,000 after purchasing an additional 5,384 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Argent Trust Co grew its stake in Zoetis by 10.2% in the second quarter. Argent Trust Co now owns 22,902 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,970,000 after purchasing an additional 2,125 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.80% of the company's stock.

Zoetis Stock Performance

ZTS stock traded up $2.13 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $169.30. The stock had a trading volume of 2,804,357 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,690,106. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $171.25 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $180.07. Zoetis Inc. has a 52-week low of $144.80 and a 52-week high of $200.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 2.27 and a current ratio of 3.69. The stock has a market cap of $76.38 billion, a PE ratio of 31.82, a P/E/G ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.89.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $1.58 earnings per share (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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.29 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.36 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.91 EPS for the current year.

Zoetis Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.18%. 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 (DPR) is 32.52%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on ZTS shares. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Zoetis from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Leerink Partners initiated coverage on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $215.00 target price for the company. Leerink Partnrs raised Zoetis to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. Finally, UBS Group initiated coverage on Zoetis in a research report on Monday, December 9th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $196.00 price objective for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Zoetis has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $211.89.

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.