Cerity Partners LLC Reduces Stock Position in Zoetis Inc. $ZTS

Cerity Partners LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 19.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 298,178 shares of the company’s stock after selling 73,020 shares during the quarter. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $37,517,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. RFG Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in Zoetis by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. RFG Advisory LLC now owns 1,708 shares of the company’s stock valued at $215,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. YANKCOM Partnership boosted its holdings in Zoetis by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. YANKCOM Partnership now owns 2,402 shares of the company’s stock valued at $302,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the period. Beese Fulmer Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Zoetis by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Beese Fulmer Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,672 shares of the company’s stock valued at $537,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the period. Quest 10 Wealth Builders Inc. boosted its holdings in Zoetis by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Quest 10 Wealth Builders Inc. now owns 1,904 shares of the company’s stock valued at $240,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the period. Finally, Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. boosted its holdings in Zoetis by 4.4% during the 3rd quarter. Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. now owns 2,043 shares of the company’s stock valued at $299,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Zoetis

Here are the key news stories impacting Zoetis this week:

• Negative Sentiment: Several law firms, including Rosen, Robbins Geller, Bernstein Liebhard, Levi & Korsinsky, Schall, Pomerantz, and others, have announced or promoted securities-class-action claims against Zoetis, increasing headline risk and potentially signaling investor concern over prior disclosures. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: The lawsuits specifically reference alleged share-price damage and loss recovery for purchasers during the class period, which can weigh on sentiment by raising the prospect of legal costs, management distraction, and possible settlements. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Bank of America Securities reportedly reiterated a Hold rating on Zoetis, suggesting analysts are cautious but not turning decisively bearish. Article Title

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Paul Bisaro acquired 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $75.88 per share, for a total transaction of $151,760.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 27,862 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,114,168.56. This trade represents a 7.73% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Frank A. Damelio acquired 6,650 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $75.39 per share, for a total transaction of $501,343.50. Following the transaction, the director owned 21,458 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,617,718.62. This represents a 44.91% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have purchased 11,650 shares of company stock worth $886,384. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Zoetis Price Performance

Shares of ZTS stock opened at $81.38 on Thursday. Zoetis Inc. has a twelve month low of $72.38 and a twelve month high of $168.83. The company has a current ratio of 3.15, a quick ratio of 1.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $34.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.50, a P/E/G ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 0.75. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $98.43 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $114.75.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $1.53 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.60 by ($0.07). The business 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%.Zoetis’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company 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 6.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 20th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio is currently 35.16%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on ZTS. Weiss Ratings cut Zoetis from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Friday, March 27th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Zoetis from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Argus restated a “hold” rating on shares of Zoetis in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Leerink Partners restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Zoetis in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. Finally, William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Zoetis in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $133.92.

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.