Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Cuts Stock Holdings in Zoetis Inc. $ZTS

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. lowered its holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 4.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,080,634 shares of the company’s stock after selling 52,935 shares during the quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc.’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $127,742,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of ZTS. Prosperity Bancshares Inc purchased a new position in Zoetis during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Zoetis during the first quarter worth $28,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Zoetis during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Root Financial Partners LLC boosted its position in Zoetis by 66.5% during the 1st quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 258 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Zoetis during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on ZTS shares. Barclays reduced their price target on Zoetis from $136.00 to $85.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Wall Street Zen downgraded Zoetis from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Argus reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Zoetis from $145.00 to $112.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 18th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Zoetis from $95.00 to $85.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $119.50.

Zoetis Stock Up 1.0%

Shares of ZTS stock opened at $75.32 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $77.29 and its 200 day moving average price is $104.25. Zoetis Inc. has a 1-year low of $71.47 and a 1-year high of $160.48. The company has a market cap of $31.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.80, a current ratio of 3.15 and a quick ratio of 1.91.

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

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, July 20th will be given a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 20th. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.16%.

Key Headlines Impacting Zoetis

Here are the key news stories impacting Zoetis this week:

• Negative Sentiment: Several firms announced or promoted securities-fraud litigation against Zoetis, which can weigh on sentiment by raising legal, financial, and reputational risk for the company. Zoetis Inc. (ZTS) Shareholders Who Lost Money Have Opportunity to Lead Securities Fraud Lawsuit
• Negative Sentiment: The class-action deadline reminders may keep the controversy in the spotlight and encourage more shareholder claims, adding overhang to the stock. ZOETIS CLASS ACTION DEADLINE MONDAY JULY 27th
• Neutral Sentiment: One Seeking Alpha commentary argues Zoetis sentiment remains strong and fundamentals are improving, offering a more constructive longer-term view. Zoetis: Sentiment Keeps Winning As Fundamentals Improve

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Michael B. Mccallister bought 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $77.76 per share, for a total transaction of $233,280.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 24,524 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,906,986.24. This trade represents a 13.94% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Frank A. Damelio purchased 6,650 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were bought at an average price of $75.39 per share, for a total transaction of $501,343.50. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 21,458 shares in the company, valued at $1,617,718.62. This represents a 44.91% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders purchased 11,650 shares of company stock worth $886,384 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

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.