Banque Cantonale Vaudoise Decreases Stake in Zoetis Inc. $ZTS

Key Points

• Banque Cantonale Vaudoise cut its Zoetis stake by 27.1% in the first quarter, selling 19,351 shares and leaving it with 51,935 shares worth about $6.14 million.
• Zoetis is facing multiple class action and securities fraud lawsuits tied to alleged misleading disclosures about veterinarian adoption and prescription trends, creating added legal and headline risk.
• The stock has seen mixed signals: Zoetis recently missed Q1 earnings and revenue estimates, while analysts currently rate the shares a consensus "Hold" with an average price target of $133.92.

Banque Cantonale Vaudoise lessened its stake in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 27.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 51,935 shares of the company's stock after selling 19,351 shares during the period. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise's holdings in Zoetis were worth $6,139,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates purchased a new stake in Zoetis in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc acquired a new stake in Zoetis during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Zoetis in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Zoetis in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Zoetis during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.80% of the company's stock.

Key Zoetis News

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

Zoetis Stock Performance

NYSE:ZTS opened at $78.14 on Thursday. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $32.76 billion, a PE ratio of 12.96, a P/E/G ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.75. Zoetis Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $72.38 and a fifty-two week high of $161.77. The company has a fifty day moving average of $90.47 and a two-hundred day moving average of $111.48.

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

Zoetis Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on ZTS shares. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Zoetis from $145.00 to $112.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 18th. Wall Street Zen lowered Zoetis from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Zoetis from $105.00 to $95.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Leerink Partners reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Zoetis in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. Finally, William Blair reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Zoetis has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $133.92.

Insider Buying and Selling at Zoetis

In other Zoetis news, Director Paul Bisaro purchased 2,000 shares of the 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. The trade was a 7.73% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Michael B. Mccallister bought 3,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 11th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $77.76 per share, for a total transaction of $233,280.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 24,524 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,906,986.24. This represents a 13.94% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. In 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.

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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