AMI Asset Management Corp Sells 10,156 Shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

by · The Markets Daily

AMI Asset Management Corp lessened its stake in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS – Free Report) by 2.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 339,789 shares of the company’s stock after selling 10,156 shares during the period. Zoetis accounts for approximately 2.9% of AMI Asset Management Corp’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest holding. AMI Asset Management Corp’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $55,362,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Pensionfund Sabic boosted its position in shares of Zoetis by 55.6% in the 4th quarter. Pensionfund Sabic now owns 11,200 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,825,000 after purchasing an additional 4,000 shares in the last quarter. PFW Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Zoetis in the fourth quarter worth about $1,764,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of Zoetis by 10.6% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,916,539 shares of the company’s stock worth $569,834,000 after acquiring an additional 279,092 shares during the last quarter. Simplify Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Zoetis in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $11,684,000. Finally, B&L Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Zoetis in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $563,000. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Zoetis Stock Down 2.0 %

Shares of ZTS opened at $166.01 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $74.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.20, a PEG ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.89. Zoetis Inc. has a 12 month low of $144.80 and a 12 month high of $200.53. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $170.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $179.95. The company has a current ratio of 3.69, a quick ratio of 2.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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 firm had revenue of $2.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.29 billion. Zoetis had a net margin of 26.55% and a return on equity of 51.98%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.36 EPS. Analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date 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 1.20%. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.52%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on ZTS. 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 note on Friday, October 11th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. UBS Group began coverage on Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 9th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 price objective for the company. Leerink Partners assumed coverage on shares of Zoetis in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 price target for the company. Finally, Leerink Partnrs raised shares of Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 2nd. One 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $211.89.

Read Our Latest Stock Report on Zoetis

Zoetis Profile

(Free Report)

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.

See Also

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