KBC Group NV Sells 98,351 Shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

KBC Group NV decreased its stake in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 26.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 276,816 shares of the company's stock after selling 98,351 shares during the period. KBC Group NV owned 0.06% of Zoetis worth $45,101,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Zoetis during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new position in Zoetis during the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in Zoetis during the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its position in Zoetis by 80.6% during the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 168 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Finally, Quarry LP lifted its position in Zoetis by 273.2% during the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 209 shares of the company's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.80% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on ZTS shares. Leerink Partnrs upgraded shares of Zoetis to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped 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. UBS Group began coverage on shares of Zoetis in a research report on Monday, December 9th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $196.00 price target on the stock. Leerink Partners began coverage on shares of Zoetis in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $215.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. One equities 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's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Zoetis presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $211.89.

Zoetis Stock Down 1.6 %

NYSE ZTS traded down $2.71 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $170.32. 2,164,570 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,777,975. The company's 50-day moving average is $170.04 and its two-hundred day moving average is $179.71. Zoetis Inc. has a one year low of $144.80 and a one year 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 company has a market capitalization of $76.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.89.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $1.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.46 by $0.12. Zoetis had a return on equity of 51.98% and a net margin of 26.55%. The business had revenue of $2.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.29 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.36 EPS. Zoetis's revenue for the quarter was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is a boost from Zoetis's previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.17%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 21st. Zoetis's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.59%.

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.