Associated Banc Corp Acquires 6,842 Shares of Zoetis Inc. $ZTS

Associated Banc Corp raised its holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 9.9% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 75,959 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,842 shares during the quarter. Associated Banc Corp’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $8,979,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates bought a new stake in Zoetis during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc purchased a new position in Zoetis in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp purchased a new position in Zoetis in the third quarter worth $31,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Zoetis in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Zoetis during the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Zoetis

Here are the key news stories impacting Zoetis this week:

• Positive Sentiment: No clearly positive company-specific catalysts were reported in the latest batch of articles.
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple law firms, including Rosen, Glancy Prongay, Bragar Eagel & Squire, The Gross Law Firm, Kessler Topaz, Schall, Howard G. Smith, and Bernstein Liebhard, are urging investors who bought ZTS shares during the class period to contact them before the July 27 lead plaintiff deadline.
• Negative Sentiment: A class action lawsuit has been filed against Zoetis and certain officers, with allegations of material misstatements and/or omissions tied to product adoption, which may increase legal costs and pressure the stock. Article Title

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Zoetis news, Director Frank A. Damelio bought 6,650 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $75.39 per share, with a total value of $501,343.50. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 21,458 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,617,718.62. This trade represents a 44.91% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Paul Bisaro purchased 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $75.88 per share, with a total value of $151,760.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 27,862 shares in the company, valued at $2,114,168.56. The trade was a 7.73% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders have acquired 11,650 shares of company stock valued at $886,384 over the last ninety days. 0.22% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. HSBC cut their price objective on Zoetis from $140.00 to $95.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 6th. Argus reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Zoetis from $130.00 to $99.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $115.00 price target on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $145.00 to $112.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 18th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $123.46.

Zoetis Trading Up 0.5%

Zoetis stock traded up $0.41 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $75.49. The company had a trading volume of 5,157,373 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,410,874. 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 12-month low of $71.47 and a 12-month high of $160.48. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $79.96 and a 200 day moving average price of $107.76. The firm has a market cap of $31.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.52, a P/E/G ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 0.75.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $1.53 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.60 by ($0.07). The firm 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%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.48 earnings per share. Zoetis has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.850-7.000 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The company 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 dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 20th. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio is currently 35.16%.

About Zoetis

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.