Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) Shares Sold by Orser Capital Management LLC

Orser Capital Management LLC decreased its stake in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 11.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,814 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,052 shares during the quarter. Zoetis comprises 0.9% of Orser Capital Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 28th largest position. Orser Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $1,273,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cherry Creek Investment Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Cherry Creek Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 3,021 shares of the company’s stock worth $590,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Grove Bank & Trust grew its position in Zoetis by 0.5% in the third quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 11,763 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,298,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the period. Hancock Whitney Corp increased its stake in Zoetis by 0.3% during the third quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 18,569 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,628,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Strategy Asset Managers LLC raised its position in Zoetis by 3.5% in the third quarter. Strategy Asset Managers LLC now owns 1,822 shares of the company’s stock valued at $356,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the period. Finally, Edge Capital Group LLC raised its position in Zoetis by 3.7% in the second quarter. Edge Capital Group LLC now owns 1,786 shares of the company’s stock valued at $310,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the period. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Zoetis Stock Performance

Shares of ZTS stock opened at $167.23 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $171.31 and a two-hundred day moving average of $180.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $75.45 billion, a PE ratio of 31.43, a P/E/G ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a quick ratio of 2.27, a current ratio of 3.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. Zoetis Inc. has a 52 week low of $144.80 and a 52 week high of $200.53.

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. 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 last year, the business posted $1.36 earnings per share. Zoetis’s revenue was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.20%. This is a positive change from Zoetis’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 21st. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio is presently 32.52%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ZTS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Zoetis from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on shares of Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Leerink Partnrs upgraded shares of Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 2nd. Leerink Partners initiated coverage on shares of Zoetis in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 price objective for the company. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on Zoetis in a research report on Monday, December 9th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 target price on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Zoetis has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $211.89.

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.