Associated Banc Corp Boosts Stake in Zoetis Inc. $ZTS

Key Points

• Associated Banc Corp increased its Zoetis stake by 48.2% in the fourth quarter, ending with 69,117 shares worth about $8.7 million.
• Wall Street sentiment is mixed: Zoetis has a Hold consensus rating with an average price target of $133.92, even as several firms maintain buy-equivalent ratings.
• Zoetis recently posted Q1 earnings of $1.53 per share, missing estimates, and the stock also trades well below its 52-week high; meanwhile, the company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share.

Associated Banc Corp lifted its holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 48.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 69,117 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 22,493 shares during the quarter. Associated Banc Corp's holdings in Zoetis were worth $8,696,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates acquired a new position in Zoetis during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Zoetis during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp acquired a new position in Zoetis during the third quarter worth $31,000. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Zoetis during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Elyxium Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Zoetis during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on ZTS. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $115.00 price objective on shares of Zoetis in a report on Friday, May 15th. William Blair reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Zoetis in a report on Monday, March 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Zoetis from $190.00 to $130.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 8th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Zoetis from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Leerink Partners reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Zoetis in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Zoetis has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $133.92.

Zoetis Stock Performance

NYSE ZTS opened at $81.26 on Friday. The business's 50-day moving average price is $108.11 and its 200 day moving average price is $118.65. Zoetis Inc. has a twelve month low of $72.38 and a twelve month high of $172.23. The company has a market capitalization of $34.06 billion, a PE ratio of 13.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a current ratio of 3.15, a quick ratio of 1.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.80.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last released its 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). Zoetis had a return on equity of 66.85% and a net margin of 27.80%.The business had revenue of $2.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.30 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.48 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Zoetis has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.850-7.000 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Zoetis news, Director Paul Bisaro bought 2,000 shares of Zoetis stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $75.88 per share, for a total transaction of $151,760.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 27,862 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,114,168.56. This represents a 7.73% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Frank A. Damelio purchased 6,650 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $75.39 per share, with a total value of $501,343.50. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 21,458 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,617,718.62. The trade was a 44.91% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have acquired 11,650 shares of company stock worth $886,384. 0.22% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.

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