Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. Has $67.65 Million Position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. cut its stake in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 5.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 431,847 shares of the company’s stock after selling 24,107 shares during the quarter. Zoetis accounts for about 0.8% of Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest position. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. owned about 0.10% of Zoetis worth $67,652,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Zoetis during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. First Personal Financial Services bought a new stake in Zoetis in the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in shares of Zoetis in the 3rd quarter worth $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 valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP boosted its stake in 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 currently owned by institutional investors.

Zoetis Trading Down 1.6 %

ZTS opened at $170.32 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $169.93 and its 200-day moving average price is $179.65. The stock has a market cap of $76.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.02, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 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. Zoetis Inc. has a one year low of $144.80 and a one year high of $200.53.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $1.58 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.46 by $0.12. Zoetis had a net margin of 26.55% and a return on equity of 51.98%. The business had revenue of $2.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.29 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.36 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.9 EPS for the current year.

Zoetis Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 21st. This is a boost from Zoetis’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.17%. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.59%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Leerink Partnrs upgraded shares of Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Zoetis from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 11th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Leerink Partners started coverage on shares of Zoetis in a report on Monday, December 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 price target on the stock. Finally, UBS Group initiated coverage on Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 9th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 price objective for the company. One investment 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently 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.