Calamos Advisors LLC Purchases 27,579 Shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Calamos Advisors LLC grew its position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 15.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 210,885 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 27,579 shares during the quarter. Calamos Advisors LLC’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $34,359,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Zoetis during the third quarter worth $31,000. First Personal Financial Services bought a new position in shares of Zoetis during the third quarter worth $33,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in shares of Zoetis during the third quarter worth $33,000. Dunhill Financial LLC raised its stake in Zoetis by 80.6% during the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 168 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP raised its stake in Zoetis by 273.2% during the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 209 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of ZTS stock opened at $171.93 on Tuesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $169.62 and its 200-day moving average price is $179.44. The company has a current ratio of 3.69, a quick ratio of 2.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The stock has a market cap of $77.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.32, a PEG ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.90. Zoetis Inc. has a twelve month low of $144.80 and a twelve month high of $200.53.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $1.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.46 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $2.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.29 billion. Zoetis had a net margin of 26.55% and a return on equity of 51.98%. Zoetis’s revenue was up 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.36 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 5.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Zoetis Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.16%. This is a positive change from Zoetis’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 21st. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio is presently 37.59%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ZTS has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Leerink Partnrs raised shares of Zoetis to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 9th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased 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. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Zoetis from $248.00 to $243.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Zoetis presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $215.00.

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.