Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Sells 52,935 Shares of Zoetis Inc. $ZTS

Key Points

• Epoch Investment Partners cut its Zoetis stake by 4.7% in the first quarter, selling 52,935 shares and leaving it with 1,080,634 shares worth about $127.7 million.
• Zoetis missed earnings and revenue estimates in its latest quarterly report, posting EPS of $1.53 versus $1.60 expected and revenue of $2.26 billion versus $2.30 billion expected, though revenue still rose 2.9% year over year.
• Analyst sentiment has softened as several firms lowered price targets, with the consensus rating now at Hold and an average target price of $119.50; the stock also offers a quarterly dividend of $0.53, or a 2.8% yield.

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 4.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,080,634 shares of the company's stock after selling 52,935 shares during the quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. owned about 0.26% of Zoetis worth $127,742,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Zoetis Stock Performance

ZTS stock opened at $75.32 on Friday. Zoetis Inc. has a twelve month low of $71.47 and a twelve month high of $160.48. The firm has a market cap of $31.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.49, a PEG ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 0.75. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $77.29 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $104.25. The company has a quick ratio of 1.91, a current ratio of 3.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.80.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $1.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.60 by ($0.07). The company had revenue of $2.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.30 billion. Zoetis had a net margin of 27.80% and a return on equity of 66.85%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.48 earnings per share. Zoetis has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.850-7.000 EPS. Analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 20th will be given a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 20th. Zoetis's payout ratio is 35.16%.

Key Stories Impacting Zoetis

Here are the key news stories impacting Zoetis this week:

• Negative Sentiment: Several firms announced or promoted securities-fraud litigation against Zoetis, which can weigh on sentiment by raising legal, financial, and reputational risk for the company. Zoetis Inc. (ZTS) Shareholders Who Lost Money Have Opportunity to Lead Securities Fraud Lawsuit
• Negative Sentiment: The class-action deadline reminders may keep the controversy in the spotlight and encourage more shareholder claims, adding overhang to the stock. ZOETIS CLASS ACTION DEADLINE MONDAY JULY 27th
• Neutral Sentiment: One Seeking Alpha commentary argues Zoetis sentiment remains strong and fundamentals are improving, offering a more constructive longer-term view. Zoetis: Sentiment Keeps Winning As Fundamentals Improve

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on ZTS shares. TD Cowen cut their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $150.00 to $104.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Zoetis from $145.00 to $112.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 18th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Zoetis from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. HSBC reduced their price objective 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Zoetis from $115.00 to $99.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Zoetis has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $119.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Michael B. Mccallister bought 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 11th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $77.76 per share, for a total transaction of $233,280.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 24,524 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,906,986.24. The trade was a 13.94% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Paul Bisaro bought 2,000 shares of Zoetis stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were bought 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 approximately $2,114,168.56. This trade represents a 7.73% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have purchased 11,650 shares of company stock worth $886,384 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ZTS? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report).

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.