Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC Sells 1,317 Shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC lessened its stake in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 15.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 7,426 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,317 shares during the quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $1,210,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Zoetis during the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. First Personal Financial Services bought a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the third quarter worth about $33,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the third quarter worth about $33,000. Dunhill Financial LLC increased its stake in shares of Zoetis by 80.6% in the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 168 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the period. Finally, Quarry LP raised its holdings in Zoetis by 273.2% in the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 209 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Zoetis Price Performance

Shares of ZTS opened at $167.23 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $75.45 billion, a PE ratio of 31.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.89. Zoetis Inc. has a 52-week low of $144.80 and a 52-week 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 business’s 50 day moving average price is $171.31 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $180.16.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last released its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $1.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.46 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $2.40 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.29 billion. Zoetis had a net margin of 26.55% and a return on equity of 51.98%. Zoetis’s quarterly revenue was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.36 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.9 EPS for the current year.

Zoetis Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 21st. This is an increase from Zoetis’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.20%. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.59%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have issued reports on ZTS shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped 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. UBS Group assumed coverage on Zoetis in a research report on Monday, December 9th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 target price for the company. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Leerink Partners initiated coverage on Zoetis in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Leerink Partnrs upgraded Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Zoetis presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $211.89.

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.