Ashton Thomas Securities LLC Has $2.49 Million Stake in Zoetis Inc. $ZTS

Ashton Thomas Securities LLC raised its stake in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 54.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 19,766 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,000 shares during the quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $2,493,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates acquired a new position in Zoetis in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Zoetis in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Zoetis in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Zoetis during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Board of the Pension Protection Fund purchased a new stake in Zoetis in the 4th quarter worth $38,000. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Zoetis Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of NYSE ZTS opened at $114.22 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.94, a current ratio of 3.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.71. The company has a market cap of $48.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 0.87. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $119.93 and its 200 day simple moving average is $124.79. Zoetis Inc. has a 12-month low of $112.97 and a 12-month high of $172.23.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.40 by $0.08. Zoetis had a return on equity of 62.02% and a net margin of 28.24%.The firm had revenue of $2.39 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.36 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.40 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. Zoetis has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.000-7.100 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Zoetis Inc. will post 7.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 20th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 20th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. Zoetis’s payout ratio is 35.22%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Zoetis in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $145.00 price target on the stock. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Zoetis in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $160.00 price target on shares of Zoetis in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Zoetis from $136.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Zoetis from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $151.75.

Zoetis Company 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.