KG&L Capital Management LLC Buys New Shares in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

KG&L Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor purchased 4,850 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $790,000.

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

Zoetis Stock Performance

Shares of Zoetis stock opened at $170.81 on Friday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $169.62 and its 200 day simple moving average is $179.49. The company has a current ratio of 3.69, a quick ratio of 2.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. Zoetis Inc. has a 12 month low of $144.80 and a 12 month high of $200.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $77.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.89.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last released its 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. The company 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%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.36 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate 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. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. 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 1.17%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 21st. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio is currently 37.59%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on ZTS shares. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 9th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Zoetis from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Leerink Partners initiated coverage on Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Zoetis from $248.00 to $243.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $215.00.

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.