Czech National Bank Has $15.94 Million Position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Czech National Bank lifted its stake in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 6.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 97,822 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,531 shares during the quarter. Czech National Bank’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $15,938,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. First Personal Financial Services bought a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Dunhill Financial LLC grew its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 80.6% during the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 168 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP grew its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 273.2% during the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 209 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Zoetis Stock Up 1.8 %

Shares of NYSE ZTS opened at $166.31 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $75.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.89. Zoetis Inc. has a 52-week low of $144.80 and a 52-week high of $200.53. 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’s 50 day moving average price is $171.53 and its 200-day moving average price is $180.22.

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 net margin of 26.55% and a return on equity of 51.98%. The company had revenue of $2.40 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.29 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.36 EPS. Zoetis’s quarterly revenue was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Zoetis Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.20%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 21st. This is an increase from Zoetis’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. Zoetis’s payout ratio is presently 37.59%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on ZTS shares. Leerink Partnrs raised shares of Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 2nd. Leerink Partners began coverage on shares of Zoetis in a report on Monday, December 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 target price on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. 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 report on Friday, October 11th. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on shares of Zoetis in a report on Monday, December 9th. They set 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Zoetis presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $211.89.

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.