Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Sells 816,207 Shares of Zoetis Inc. $ZTS

Key Points

• Assenagon Asset Management cut its Zoetis stake by 50% in Q1, selling 816,207 shares and leaving it with 815,412 shares valued at about $96.4 million.
• Zoetis reported mixed quarterly results, with EPS of $1.53 missing estimates of $1.60 and revenue of $2.26 billion slightly below expectations, though revenue still rose 2.9% year over year.
• The stock faces legal and analyst pressure: multiple class action lawsuits have been announced or filed, and analysts currently have a consensus Hold rating with an average price target of $133.92.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lessened its holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 50.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 815,412 shares of the company's stock after selling 816,207 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned 0.19% of Zoetis worth $96,390,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates purchased a new position in Zoetis in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc purchased a new stake in Zoetis during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp bought a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Zoetis in the fourth quarter worth $32,000. 92.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on ZTS shares. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Zoetis from $145.00 to $112.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 18th. UBS Group decreased their price target 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. Argus reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Zoetis in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Wall Street Zen lowered Zoetis from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $115.00 target price on shares of Zoetis in a report on Friday, May 15th. Six 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $133.92.

Zoetis Trading Up 1.7%

ZTS stock opened at $78.14 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $90.47 and a 200 day moving average price of $111.48. Zoetis Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $72.38 and a fifty-two week high of $161.77. 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 firm has a market cap of $32.76 billion, a PE ratio of 12.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.75.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $1.53 earnings per share (EPS) 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.30 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.48 EPS. Zoetis's revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Zoetis has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.850-7.000 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 20th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 20th. Zoetis's dividend payout ratio is currently 35.16%.

Trending Headlines about Zoetis

Here are the key news stories impacting Zoetis this week:

• Negative Sentiment: Multiple law firms announced or promoted class action lawsuits against Zoetis, with claims covering investors who bought shares between January 14, 2025 and May 6, 2026 and a lead-plaintiff deadline of July 27, 2026. The complaints allege investors were harmed by misleading disclosures about weakening veterinarian adoption and prescription trends. Article: Lost Money on Zoetis Inc. (ZTS)? Join Class Action Suit Seeking Recovery - Contact Levi & Korsinsky
• Negative Sentiment: A shareholder securities fraud lawsuit has already been filed, adding legal overhang and potentially increasing costs, management distraction, and headline risk for the stock. Article: SHAREHOLDER ALERT Bernstein Liebhard LLP Announces A Securities Fraud Class Action Lawsuit Has Been Filed Against Zoetis Inc. (ZTS)
• Neutral Sentiment: Zoetis was also mentioned in a broader healthcare momentum screen and brokerage commentary showing a “Hold” consensus, which suggests sentiment is cautious but not clearly improving. Article: 10 large and mega-cap U.S. healthcare stocks with the weakest momentum grades

Insider Activity

In other Zoetis news, Director Michael B. Mccallister purchased 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $77.76 per share, with a total value of $233,280.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 24,524 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,906,986.24. The trade was a 13.94% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Frank A. Damelio purchased 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 owned 21,458 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,617,718.62. This represents a 44.91% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have acquired 11,650 shares of company stock worth $886,384. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Zoetis Company 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.

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