Westerkirk Capital Inc. Invests $5.26 Million in Zoetis Inc. $ZTS

Westerkirk Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund purchased 33,700 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,256,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Scott & Selber Inc. boosted its stake in Zoetis by 0.6% in the second quarter. Scott & Selber Inc. now owns 11,652 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,817,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the period. North Star Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 4.9% in the 2nd quarter. North Star Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,441 shares of the company’s stock worth $225,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 2.9% in the 2nd quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC now owns 2,448 shares of the company’s stock worth $382,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Moment Partners LLC boosted its position in Zoetis by 3.2% during the 2nd quarter. Moment Partners LLC now owns 2,354 shares of the company’s stock valued at $367,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the period. Finally, CVA Family Office LLC grew its stake in Zoetis by 6.7% during the 2nd quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 1,173 shares of the company’s stock worth $183,000 after buying an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis Price Performance

NYSE ZTS opened at $127.31 on Tuesday. Zoetis Inc. has a 12 month low of $115.25 and a 12 month high of $181.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $56.11 billion, a PE ratio of 21.91, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.90. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $135.42 and its 200 day simple moving average is $148.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.76 and a quick ratio of 1.04.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.62 by $0.08. Zoetis had a return on equity of 56.90% and a net margin of 27.83%.The firm had revenue of $2.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.42 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.58 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .5% on a year-over-year basis. Zoetis has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.300-6.400 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, October 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 31st. Zoetis’s payout ratio is presently 33.67%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have issued reports on ZTS. Piper Sandler raised their target price on Zoetis from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Argus reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $190.00 price objective on shares of Zoetis in a research report on Tuesday, September 9th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Zoetis from $230.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, BTIG Research cut their price target on Zoetis from $200.00 to $160.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Zoetis presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $178.89.

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.