Versant Capital Management Inc Purchases 449 Shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 67.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,114 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 449 shares during the quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $182,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ZTS. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Zoetis in the third quarter valued at about $31,000. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new position in shares of Zoetis during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in shares of Zoetis during the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. Dunhill Financial LLC raised its position 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP boosted its stake in shares of Zoetis by 273.2% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 209 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 153 shares during the period. 92.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Zoetis Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:ZTS opened at $163.31 on Friday. Zoetis Inc. has a 52-week low of $144.80 and a 52-week high of $200.53. The company has a market capitalization of $73.68 billion, a PE ratio of 30.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.89. 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 company has a fifty day moving average of $173.74 and a 200-day moving average of $180.39.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last issued its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $1.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $2.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.29 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.36 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 21st. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.22%. This is an increase from Zoetis’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.59%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ZTS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group began coverage on Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 9th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 price objective on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Zoetis from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective 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 upgraded shares of Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. Finally, Leerink Partners began coverage on shares of Zoetis in a report on Monday, December 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 price target for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Zoetis currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $215.22.

About Zoetis

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.