Employees Provident Fund Board Acquires Shares of 1,537,130 Zoetis Inc. $ZTS

Key Points

• Employees Provident Fund Board opened a new position in Zoetis during the fourth quarter, buying 1,537,130 shares valued at about $193.4 million. The stake represented roughly 1.4% of its portfolio and made Zoetis its 28th-largest holding.
• Insider buying picked up, with directors Frank A. Damelio and Michael B. McCallister purchasing shares in May. Combined insider purchases totaled 11,650 shares worth $886,384 over the last 90 days.
• Zoetis faces mixed sentiment: analysts’ average rating is still Hold with a $133.92 price target, but multiple firms have cut targets, and the stock is under pressure from securities class action lawsuits tied to alleged disclosure issues.

Employees Provident Fund Board bought a new position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 1,537,130 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $193,402,000. Zoetis comprises about 1.4% of Employees Provident Fund Board's portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest position. Employees Provident Fund Board owned 0.36% of Zoetis as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of ZTS. RFG Advisory LLC raised its position in Zoetis by 4.9% in the 4th quarter. RFG Advisory LLC now owns 1,708 shares of the company's stock worth $215,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. YANKCOM Partnership boosted its position in Zoetis by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. YANKCOM Partnership now owns 2,402 shares of the company's stock valued at $302,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Beese Fulmer Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Zoetis by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Beese Fulmer Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,672 shares of the company's stock valued at $537,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Quest 10 Wealth Builders Inc. increased its stake in shares of Zoetis by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Quest 10 Wealth Builders Inc. now owns 1,904 shares of the company's stock valued at $240,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the period. Finally, Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. raised its position in shares of Zoetis by 4.4% during the third quarter. Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. now owns 2,043 shares of the company's stock worth $299,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Frank A. Damelio purchased 6,650 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $75.39 per share, with a total value of $501,343.50. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 21,458 shares in the company, valued at $1,617,718.62. The trade was a 44.91% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Michael B. Mccallister purchased 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $77.76 per share, for a total transaction of $233,280.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders purchased a total of 11,650 shares of company stock valued at $886,384 in the last ninety days. 0.22% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ZTS has been the topic of several research reports. Citigroup cut their price target on Zoetis from $145.00 to $112.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 18th. BTIG Research reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $160.00 price objective on shares of Zoetis in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $115.00 price objective on shares of Zoetis in a report on Friday, May 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Zoetis from $190.00 to $130.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their target price 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. Six 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Zoetis has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $133.92.

Zoetis Stock Performance

Shares of Zoetis stock opened at $78.69 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $93.01 and a two-hundred day moving average of $112.54. 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 $32.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.05, a PEG ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 0.75. Zoetis Inc. has a 52 week low of $72.38 and a 52 week high of $161.77.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $1.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.60 by ($0.07). The company had revenue of $2.26 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. Zoetis had a return on equity of 66.85% and a net margin of 27.80%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.48 earnings per share. Zoetis has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.850-7.000 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.88 EPS for the current year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The business 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 payout ratio is presently 35.16%.

Key Headlines Impacting Zoetis

Here are the key news stories impacting Zoetis this week:

• Negative Sentiment: Multiple law firms, including Rosen, The Gross Law Firm, Kessler Topaz, Bragar Eagel & Squire, and others, announced or reiterated securities class actions against Zoetis, with claims tied to alleged misstatements and omissions about product adoption during the January 14, 2025 to May 6, 2026 period. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: The lawsuits highlighted a July 27, 2026 lead-plaintiff deadline and suggested investors who bought ZTS during the class period may have suffered losses, increasing legal overhang and uncertainty for the stock. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks noted ZTS recently outperformed the broader market, but that commentary was largely backward-looking and did not change the heavier focus on litigation headlines. Article Title

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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