R Squared Ltd Takes Position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 1,520 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $248,000.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Zoetis in the third quarter worth $31,000. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new stake in Zoetis in the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in Zoetis in the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its holdings in Zoetis by 80.6% during the third 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 last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP boosted its position in Zoetis by 273.2% during the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 209 shares of the company's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.80% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. Leerink Partnrs upgraded shares of Zoetis to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Zoetis from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on 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 assumed coverage on Zoetis in a report on Monday, December 2nd. They set an "outperform" rating and a $215.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on Zoetis in a report on Monday, December 9th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $196.00 target price for the company. One 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 company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Zoetis presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $215.00.

Zoetis Price Performance

ZTS traded down $1.90 on Friday, reaching $170.81. The company had a trading volume of 2,630,702 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,468,532. Zoetis Inc. has a 52-week low of $144.80 and a 52-week high of $200.53. The company has a market cap of $77.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 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. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $169.62 and a 200 day simple moving average of $179.49.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $1.58 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.36 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.9 EPS for the current year.

Zoetis Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be issued a $0.50 dividend. 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 1.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 21st. Zoetis's dividend payout ratio is presently 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.