Windward Capital Management Co. CA Sells 2,133 Shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Windward Capital Management Co. CA trimmed its position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 1.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 143,747 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,133 shares during the period. Zoetis accounts for 1.8% of Windward Capital Management Co. CA’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest position. Windward Capital Management Co. CA’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $23,421,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Algert Global LLC boosted its position in shares of Zoetis by 29.5% during the 2nd quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 1,924 shares of the company’s stock valued at $334,000 after acquiring an additional 438 shares during the last quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB lifted its position in Zoetis by 23.4% during the third quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 105,376 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,594,000 after purchasing an additional 20,001 shares during the last quarter. Czech National Bank lifted its position in Zoetis by 6.1% during the third quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 92,291 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,032,000 after purchasing an additional 5,339 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in Zoetis by 27.4% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 8,697 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,699,000 after buying an additional 1,870 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Diversified Trust Co increased its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 7.7% in the 3rd quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 16,823 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,287,000 after buying an additional 1,205 shares during the last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Zoetis Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of ZTS opened at $172.24 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $77.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.38, a PEG ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.90. Zoetis Inc. has a twelve month low of $144.80 and a twelve month high of $200.53. The company has a quick ratio of 2.27, a current ratio of 3.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $169.48 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $179.39.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last posted its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $1.58 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $2.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.29 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.36 earnings per share. Zoetis’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.9 EPS for the current year.

Zoetis Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 21st. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.16%. This is a boost from Zoetis’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.59%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Zoetis from $248.00 to $243.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. UBS Group started coverage on Zoetis in a research report on Monday, December 9th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 price objective on the stock. Leerink Partnrs upgraded Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target 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. Finally, Leerink Partners initiated coverage on shares of Zoetis in a report on Monday, December 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 price objective for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Zoetis has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average 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.