First Trust Advisors LP Has $67.43 Million Stake in Zoetis Inc. $ZTS

First Trust Advisors LP decreased its holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 63.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 570,393 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,009,361 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $67,426,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Prosperity Bancshares Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Zoetis in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Zoetis during the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Zoetis during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Root Financial Partners LLC grew its holdings in Zoetis by 66.5% during the 1st quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 258 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Zoetis during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Paul Bisaro bought 2,000 shares of Zoetis stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $75.88 per share, for a total transaction of $151,760.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 27,862 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,114,168.56. This represents a 7.73% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Frank A. Damelio bought 6,650 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were bought at an average price of $75.39 per share, with a total value of $501,343.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 21,458 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,617,718.62. This trade represents a 44.91% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders purchased a total of 11,650 shares of company stock valued at $886,384 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of NYSE ZTS opened at $75.32 on Friday. Zoetis Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $71.47 and a fifty-two week high of $160.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.80, a current ratio of 3.15 and a quick ratio of 1.91. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $77.29 and its 200 day simple moving average is $104.25.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last released 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 business had revenue of $2.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.30 billion. Zoetis had a return on equity of 66.85% and a net margin of 27.80%.Zoetis’s revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.48 EPS. Zoetis has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.850-7.000 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.87 EPS for the current year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, July 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 20th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Zoetis’s payout ratio is 35.16%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on ZTS. Argus reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Zoetis from $130.00 to $99.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 8th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Zoetis from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Zoetis from $115.00 to $99.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, HSBC decreased their price target on Zoetis from $140.00 to $95.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 6th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $119.50.

Trending Headlines about Zoetis

Here are the key news stories impacting Zoetis this week:

• Negative Sentiment: Several firms announced or promoted securities-fraud litigation against Zoetis, which can weigh on sentiment by raising legal, financial, and reputational risk for the company. Zoetis Inc. (ZTS) Shareholders Who Lost Money Have Opportunity to Lead Securities Fraud Lawsuit
• Negative Sentiment: The class-action deadline reminders may keep the controversy in the spotlight and encourage more shareholder claims, adding overhang to the stock. ZOETIS CLASS ACTION DEADLINE MONDAY JULY 27th
• Neutral Sentiment: One Seeking Alpha commentary argues Zoetis sentiment remains strong and fundamentals are improving, offering a more constructive longer-term view. Zoetis: Sentiment Keeps Winning As Fundamentals Improve

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.