15,307 Shares in Zoetis Inc. $ZTS Bought by North Dakota State Investment Board

Key Points

• North Dakota State Investment Board opened a new position in Zoetis, buying 15,307 shares worth about $1.93 million in the fourth quarter.
• Zoetis reported mixed quarterly results, with EPS of $1.53 and revenue of $2.26 billion both slightly below expectations, though revenue still rose 2.9% year over year.
• Several insiders and large institutions have been active in the stock, including recent director buying, while analysts currently rate Zoetis a Hold on average with a $134.75 target price.

North Dakota State Investment Board bought a new position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm bought 15,307 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,926,000.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ZTS. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Zoetis by 12.9% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 47,780,974 shares of the company's stock worth $6,011,802,000 after purchasing an additional 5,474,210 shares during the period. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Zoetis in the third quarter valued at about $394,010,000. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its position in shares of Zoetis by 79.2% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 4,932,787 shares of the company's stock valued at $622,222,000 after acquiring an additional 2,179,578 shares during the period. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. increased its position in shares of Zoetis by 256.7% in the fourth quarter. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. now owns 2,168,078 shares of the company's stock valued at $266,888,000 after acquiring an additional 1,560,314 shares during the period. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its position in shares of Zoetis by 83.4% in the third quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,697,827 shares of the company's stock valued at $394,746,000 after acquiring an additional 1,227,085 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.80% of the company's stock.

Zoetis Trading Up 4.8%

Shares of NYSE ZTS opened at $77.78 on Tuesday. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $111.39 and its 200-day moving average price is $120.28. The company has a market cap of $32.61 billion, a PE ratio of 12.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 0.87. Zoetis Inc. has a 52-week low of $72.38 and a 52-week high of $172.23. 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 (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $1.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.60 by ($0.07). The firm had revenue of $2.26 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. Zoetis had a return on equity of 66.85% and a net margin of 27.80%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.48 EPS. Zoetis has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.850-7.000 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Zoetis

In other news, Director Frank A. Damelio bought 6,650 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $75.39 per share, for a total transaction of $501,343.50. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 21,458 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,617,718.62. This represents a 44.91% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Paul Bisaro bought 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $75.88 per share, for a total transaction of $151,760.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 27,862 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,114,168.56. This represents a 7.73% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have bought 11,650 shares of company stock worth $886,384. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $115.00 price objective on shares of Zoetis in a research report on Friday. Stifel Nicolaus set a $105.00 target price on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Friday, May 8th. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Zoetis from $130.00 to $99.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Zoetis from $145.00 to $112.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Finally, BTIG Research reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $160.00 target price on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $134.75.

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.

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