Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) Stock Holdings Reduced by American Trust

American Trust trimmed its position in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 20.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 15,447 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,044 shares during the quarter. American Trust’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $3,018,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Asset Dedication LLC increased its stake in shares of Zoetis by 4.8% in the second quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 1,174 shares of the company’s stock valued at $204,000 after buying an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Cherry Creek Investment Advisors Inc. increased its position in Zoetis by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Cherry Creek Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 3,021 shares of the company’s stock valued at $590,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. L. Roy Papp & Associates LLP raised its stake in shares of Zoetis by 2.8% in the second quarter. L. Roy Papp & Associates LLP now owns 2,221 shares of the company’s stock worth $385,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Grove Bank & Trust lifted its position in shares of Zoetis by 0.5% during the third quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 11,763 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,298,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hancock Whitney Corp grew its stake in shares of Zoetis by 0.3% during the third quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 18,569 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,628,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis Stock Performance

Shares of Zoetis stock opened at $178.84 on Friday. Zoetis Inc. has a 12 month low of $144.80 and a 12 month high of $201.92. The company has a current ratio of 3.69, a quick ratio of 2.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The company has a market capitalization of $80.69 billion, a PE ratio of 33.62, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.89. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $180.82 and its 200 day simple moving average is $181.12.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $1.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.46 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $2.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.29 billion. Zoetis had a return on equity of 51.98% and a net margin of 26.55%. Zoetis’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.36 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.9 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 paid a $0.50 dividend. This is a positive change from Zoetis’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.12%. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio is presently 32.52%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Zoetis in a research report on Monday. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 price objective for the company. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Zoetis from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Leerink Partnrs upgraded Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 2nd. Leerink Partners initiated coverage on Zoetis in a report on Monday, December 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 price objective for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $216.70.

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.