Everence Capital Management Inc. Sells 11,680 Shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Everence Capital Management Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 76.5% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 3,580 shares of the company’s stock after selling 11,680 shares during the period. Everence Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $583,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Zoetis during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new position in Zoetis during the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in shares of Zoetis in the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Dunhill Financial LLC lifted 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 worth $33,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP boosted its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 273.2% during the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 209 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 153 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of ZTS opened at $163.31 on Friday. 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 stock has a market cap of $73.68 billion, a PE ratio of 30.70, a PEG ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.89. Zoetis Inc. has a 1 year low of $144.80 and a 1 year high of $200.53. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $173.41 and a 200-day simple moving average of $180.34.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $1.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.46 by $0.12. Zoetis had a return on equity of 51.98% and a net margin of 26.55%. The firm 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 company posted $1.36 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 21st. 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 1.22%. Zoetis’s payout ratio is 37.59%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Zoetis from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Leerink Partnrs raised Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Zoetis from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Leerink Partners started coverage on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 target price for the company. Finally, UBS Group started coverage on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 9th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 target price for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $215.22.

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.