Cerity Partners LLC Trims Stock Holdings in Zoetis Inc. $ZTS

Cerity Partners LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 19.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 298,178 shares of the company’s stock after selling 73,020 shares during the quarter. Cerity Partners LLC owned approximately 0.07% of Zoetis worth $37,517,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates purchased a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the third quarter worth about $31,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Holos Integrated Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on ZTS. Argus restated a “hold” rating on shares of Zoetis in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Zoetis from $190.00 to $130.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 8th. UBS Group cut their price target on Zoetis from $130.00 to $99.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 8th. Bank of America raised their price target on Zoetis from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Zoetis from $105.00 to $95.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $133.92.

Zoetis Stock Performance

NYSE ZTS opened at $81.38 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $34.12 billion, a PE ratio of 13.50, a P/E/G ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 0.75. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $98.43 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $114.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.80, a current ratio of 3.15 and a quick ratio of 1.91. Zoetis Inc. has a 1-year low of $72.38 and a 1-year high of $168.83.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $1.53 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.60 by ($0.07). The company had revenue of $2.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.30 billion. Zoetis had a return on equity of 66.85% and a net margin of 27.80%.Zoetis’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.48 EPS. Zoetis has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.850-7.000 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 20th will be issued a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 20th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Zoetis’s payout ratio is 35.16%.

Trending Headlines about Zoetis

Here are the key news stories impacting Zoetis this week:

• Negative Sentiment: Several law firms, including Rosen, Robbins Geller, Bernstein Liebhard, Levi & Korsinsky, Schall, Pomerantz, and others, have announced or promoted securities-class-action claims against Zoetis, increasing headline risk and potentially signaling investor concern over prior disclosures. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: The lawsuits specifically reference alleged share-price damage and loss recovery for purchasers during the class period, which can weigh on sentiment by raising the prospect of legal costs, management distraction, and possible settlements. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Bank of America Securities reportedly reiterated a Hold rating on Zoetis, suggesting analysts are cautious but not turning decisively bearish. Article Title

Insider Transactions at Zoetis

In related news, Director Michael B. Mccallister bought 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 11th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $77.76 per share, for a total transaction of $233,280.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 24,524 shares in the company, valued at $1,906,986.24. This trade represents a 13.94% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Paul Bisaro bought 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was bought at an average price of $75.88 per share, with a total value of $151,760.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 27,862 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,114,168.56. This trade represents a 7.73% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders purchased 11,650 shares of company stock worth $886,384. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Zoetis Profile

Zoetis Inc (NYSE: ZTS) is a global animal health company that develops, manufactures and markets a broad portfolio of products and services for companion animals and livestock. The company’s offerings include pharmaceuticals, vaccines and biologics, parasiticides and anti-infectives, as well as diagnostic instruments, consumables and laboratory testing services. Zoetis serves the veterinary community, livestock producers and other animal-health customers with products designed to prevent, detect and treat disease and to support animal productivity and welfare.

Zoetis traces its roots to the animal health business of Pfizer and became an independent, publicly traded company following a 2013 separation and initial public offering.