Chesley Taft & Associates LLC Sells 17,131 Shares of Zoetis Inc. $ZTS

Key Points

• Chesley Taft & Associates cut its Zoetis stake by 51.6%, selling 17,131 shares and retaining 16,067 shares valued at approximately $1.16 million. Institutional investors collectively own 92.8% of the company.
• Zoetis beat quarterly earnings expectations with adjusted EPS of $1.87, but revenue of $2.47 billion fell short of consensus and was essentially flat year over year amid weaker veterinary traffic and competitive pressure.
• Fiscal 2026 guidance was reduced to adjusted EPS of $6.15–$6.25 and revenue of $9.1–$9.3 billion, prompting analysts to lower price targets; the stock had fallen near its 52-week low, while the consensus rating remained “Hold.”

Chesley Taft & Associates LLC lessened its holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 51.6% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 16,067 shares of the company's stock after selling 17,131 shares during the period. Chesley Taft & Associates LLC's holdings in Zoetis were worth $1,155,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Prosperity Bancshares Inc bought a new stake in Zoetis during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Zoetis in the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Root Financial Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Zoetis by 66.5% during the first quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 258 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Zoetis during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Wellington Grp LLC raised its position in Zoetis by 6,675.0% in the 1st quarter. Wellington Grp LLC now owns 271 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 267 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.80% of the company's stock.

Zoetis News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Zoetis this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zoetis reported second-quarter adjusted earnings of $1.87 per share, above the $1.84–$1.85 analyst consensus and up from $1.76 a year earlier. The earnings beat provides some support for the stock. Zoetis Surpasses Q2 Earnings Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan lowered its price target from $130 to $115 but maintained an Overweight rating, implying substantial potential upside from recent levels. The target reduction reflects more conservative estimates rather than a bearish long-term view.
• Neutral Sentiment: Zoetis appointed James “Jay” Saccaro as executive vice president and chief financial officer, with the announcement also describing an expanded finance and operating leadership role. The change may improve execution, but its near-term effect on results is unclear. Zoetis Appoints Jay Saccaro
• Negative Sentiment: Second-quarter revenue was $2.47 billion, below the $2.50 billion consensus and essentially flat year over year. Management cited weaker veterinary traffic, customer price sensitivity and competitive pressure in companion-animal products, with promotions being used to defend market share. ZTS Q2 Earnings Call Flags Deeper Companion Animal Pressure
• Negative Sentiment: Zoetis cut fiscal 2026 guidance to adjusted EPS of $6.15–$6.25 from expectations near $6.87, and revenue guidance to $9.1–$9.3 billion versus consensus of roughly $9.8 billion. The outlook reduction is the primary reason the stock has declined despite the quarterly earnings beat. Zoetis Q2 Earnings Beat Estimates, Revenues Miss, 2026 View Cut

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ZTS has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $130.00 to $115.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday. HSBC dropped their target price on shares of Zoetis from $140.00 to $95.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Zoetis from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. Citigroup reduced their target price on Zoetis from $145.00 to $112.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 18th. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their price target on Zoetis from $150.00 to $104.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $115.50.

Zoetis Price Performance

Zoetis stock opened at $72.53 on Friday. Zoetis Inc. has a one year low of $71.47 and a one year high of $160.48. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $76.66 and a 200-day moving average price of $100.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.80, a current ratio of 3.15 and a quick ratio of 1.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.95, a PEG ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 0.74.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $1.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.85 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $2.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.50 billion. Zoetis had a return on equity of 70.95% and a net margin of 27.49%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.76 EPS. Zoetis has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.150-6.250 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.43 EPS for the current year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 20th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. Zoetis's dividend payout ratio is currently 34.93%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Paul Bisaro bought 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $75.88 per share, with a total value of $151,760.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 27,862 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,114,168.56. The trade was a 7.73% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Michael B. Mccallister bought 3,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $77.76 per share, for a total transaction of $233,280.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 24,524 shares in the company, valued at $1,906,986.24. This trade represents a 13.94% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders have purchased a total of 11,650 shares of company stock worth $886,384 over the last ninety days. Company 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

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