Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Sells 63,039 Shares of Zoetis Inc. $ZTS

Key Points

• Dimensional Fund Advisors reduced its Zoetis position by 2.2% in the first quarter, selling 63,039 shares and leaving it with 2.77 million shares worth about $327.6 million.
• Zoetis reported mixed quarterly results, with earnings per share of $1.53 missing estimates and revenue of $2.26 billion also slightly below expectations, though revenue still rose 2.9% year over year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share, and analysts currently view the stock cautiously with a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $120.83.

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP trimmed its position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 2.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,771,447 shares of the company's stock after selling 63,039 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 0.66% of Zoetis worth $327,576,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 5,474,210 shares during the last quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP increased its position in shares of Zoetis by 12,431.2% in the fourth quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 24,069,492 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,028,423,000 after acquiring an additional 23,877,416 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Zoetis by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 19,796,891 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,490,845,000 after acquiring an additional 149,382 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Zoetis by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 11,327,679 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,420,294,000 after acquiring an additional 189,235 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the fourth quarter worth about $734,425,000. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Zoetis Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ZTS opened at $75.26 on Wednesday. Zoetis Inc. has a 1 year low of $71.47 and a 1 year high of $160.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 0.75. The company's 50-day moving average is $77.29 and its 200 day moving average is $105.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.80, a current ratio of 3.15 and a quick ratio of 1.91.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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). The firm had revenue of $2.26 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. Zoetis had a net margin of 27.80% and a return on equity of 66.85%. The business's revenue was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.48 earnings per share. Zoetis has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.850-7.000 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 20th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 20th. Zoetis's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.16%.

Key Stories Impacting Zoetis

Here are the key news stories impacting Zoetis this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Unusual options activity showed traders buying 8,095 call options, well above the normal daily volume of about 5,087, suggesting some investors are positioning for a rebound. MarketBeat options activity report

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on ZTS shares. Citigroup cut their target price on Zoetis from $145.00 to $112.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Wall Street Zen lowered Zoetis from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on Zoetis from $95.00 to $85.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Friday, June 26th. UBS Group cut their price objective on Zoetis from $130.00 to $99.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Zoetis from $190.00 to $130.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 8th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $120.83.

Insider Activity at Zoetis

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

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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