Fifth Third Bancorp Grows Stock Holdings in Zoetis Inc. $ZTS

Fifth Third Bancorp grew its holdings in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 92.9% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 141,537 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 68,180 shares during the quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $16,731,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of ZTS. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates bought a new stake in shares of Zoetis in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc bought a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Zoetis in the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Zoetis in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Zoetis in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on ZTS shares. Argus restated a “hold” rating on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $130.00 to $99.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Zoetis from $190.00 to $130.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Zoetis from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a report on Friday, June 12th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on Zoetis from $136.00 to $85.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Zoetis presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $123.46.

Zoetis Trading Down 1.7%

ZTS stock opened at $74.08 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 3.15, a quick ratio of 1.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.80. Zoetis Inc. has a 12-month low of $71.47 and a 12-month high of $160.48. The stock has a market cap of $31.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.29, a PEG ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 0.75. The business’s 50-day moving average is $78.40 and its 200 day moving average is $106.94.

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

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 20th will be given 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 2.9%. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio is 35.16%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Zoetis

In other news, Director Michael B. Mccallister purchased 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 11th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $77.76 per share, for a total transaction of $233,280.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 24,524 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,906,986.24. This represents a 13.94% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Frank A. Damelio bought 6,650 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $75.39 per share, with a total value of $501,343.50. Following the purchase, the director owned 21,458 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,617,718.62. The trade was a 44.91% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders purchased a total of 11,650 shares of company stock worth $886,384 in the last three months. 0.22% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Zoetis News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Zoetis this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zoetis announced a deal to acquire VitalRADS, a provider of veterinary imaging services, which could support growth in its animal-health business by expanding diagnostic capabilities. Zoetis to acquire VitalRADS, a provider of veterinary imaging services
• Neutral Sentiment: Several firms, including Rosen, Glancy Prongay Wolke & Rotter, the Gross Law Firm, Levi & Korsinsky, and others, issued reminders about the Zoetis securities class action and the upcoming deadline, increasing the amount of negative press but not adding new case details. Pomerantz law firm investor alert
• Negative Sentiment: The class action alleges Zoetis and certain executives made misleading statements about companion-animal product performance while safety concerns and competitive losses were building, which is weighing on investor sentiment. ZTS shareholder alert
• Negative Sentiment: The stock also appears to be reflecting a weaker trading tone after recent earnings disappointment, with Zoetis having previously missed analyst estimates on EPS and revenue, adding to concerns about near-term fundamentals. Zoetis stock dips while market gains: key facts

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.