Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund Has $3.13 Million Stake in Zoetis Inc. $ZTS

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund reduced its position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 81.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 26,513 shares of the company’s stock after selling 114,808 shares during the quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $3,134,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Prosperity Bancshares Inc acquired a new stake in Zoetis during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Zoetis in the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Zoetis in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Root Financial Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 103 shares during the period. Finally, Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Zoetis during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Institutional investors own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on ZTS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Zoetis from $190.00 to $130.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 8th. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Zoetis from $99.00 to $85.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Zoetis from $136.00 to $85.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Zoetis from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a report on Friday, June 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Zoetis from $115.00 to $99.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Zoetis currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $118.33.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Zoetis Trading Down 2.4%

Shares of ZTS opened at $76.04 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.80, a quick ratio of 1.91 and a current ratio of 3.15. The company has a market cap of $31.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.61, a PEG ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.75. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $77.13 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $102.66. Zoetis Inc. has a 52-week low of $71.47 and a 52-week high of $160.48.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $1.53 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.60 by ($0.07). Zoetis had a net margin of 27.80% and a return on equity of 66.85%. The business had revenue of $2.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.30 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.48 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Zoetis has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.850-7.000 EPS. Analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 20th will be given a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 20th. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.