Soros Capital Management LLC Trims Position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Soros Capital Management LLC cut its holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 22.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 7,241 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,147 shares during the period. Soros Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $1,415,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Mizuho Securities USA LLC boosted its stake in Zoetis by 13,726.9% in the 3rd quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 4,865,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $950,524,000 after buying an additional 4,829,815 shares during the last quarter. Sarasin & Partners LLP boosted its position in shares of Zoetis by 546.3% in the second quarter. Sarasin & Partners LLP now owns 2,253,590 shares of the company’s stock worth $390,682,000 after acquiring an additional 1,904,899 shares during the last quarter. Swedbank AB purchased a new stake in Zoetis in the first quarter valued at approximately $210,815,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its position in Zoetis by 41,235.7% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 939,974 shares of the company’s stock worth $183,652,000 after purchasing an additional 937,700 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP raised its stake in Zoetis by 7,608.6% during the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 835,684 shares of the company’s stock worth $144,874,000 after purchasing an additional 824,843 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis Stock Down 1.7 %

Shares of NYSE:ZTS opened at $175.70 on Wednesday. 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 firm has a market cap of $79.27 billion, a PE ratio of 33.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $184.91 and a 200 day simple moving average of $180.84.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $1.58 earnings per share (EPS) 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 analyst estimates of $2.29 billion. Zoetis had a return on equity of 51.98% and a net margin of 26.55%. The business’s revenue was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.36 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 31st will be issued a $0.432 dividend. This represents a $1.73 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.98%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 31st. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.52%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on ZTS shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Zoetis from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. BTIG Research increased their target price on shares of Zoetis from $220.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 12th. Argus upgraded shares of Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their price target on Zoetis from $195.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Zoetis presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $221.44.

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.