Zoetis Inc. $ZTS Shares Sold by Renaissance Technologies LLC

Renaissance Technologies LLC cut its stake in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 40.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 252,000 shares of the company’s stock after selling 172,600 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC owned 0.06% of Zoetis worth $29,789,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Prosperity Bancshares Inc purchased a new stake in Zoetis during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Zoetis in the 1st quarter valued at about $28,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Elyxium Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Zoetis during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC raised its holdings in Zoetis by 66.5% in the first quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 258 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the period. 92.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ZTS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. TD Cowen reduced their price target on shares of Zoetis from $150.00 to $104.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $115.00 to $99.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Argus reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Zoetis from $95.00 to $85.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, June 26th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Zoetis from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $118.33.

Insider Activity at Zoetis

In other news, Director Paul Bisaro acquired 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was bought 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 approximately $2,114,168.56. This represents a 7.73% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Michael B. Mccallister acquired 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 11th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $77.76 per share, with a total value of $233,280.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 24,524 shares in the company, valued at $1,906,986.24. The trade was a 13.94% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders bought 11,650 shares of company stock valued at $886,384. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis Stock Performance

Zoetis stock opened at $77.51 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $77.24 and its 200 day moving average price is $103.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.49 billion, a PE ratio of 12.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.80, a quick ratio of 1.91 and a current ratio of 3.15. Zoetis Inc. has a one year low of $71.47 and a one year high of $160.48.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last released its quarterly 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). The company 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 revenue was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.48 EPS. Zoetis has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.850-7.000 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.87 EPS for the current fiscal 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 paid a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 20th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio is 35.16%.

Zoetis 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.