First Trust Advisors LP Sells 1,009,361 Shares of Zoetis Inc. $ZTS

First Trust Advisors LP lowered its stake in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 63.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 570,393 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,009,361 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP owned approximately 0.14% of Zoetis worth $67,426,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in ZTS. J. Stern & Co. LLP increased its stake in Zoetis by 12,431.2% during 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. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Zoetis in the 4th quarter worth approximately $734,425,000. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 12.9% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 47,780,974 shares of the company's stock worth $6,011,802,000 after purchasing an additional 5,474,210 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 269.0% during the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 2,387,059 shares of the company's stock worth $300,340,000 after purchasing an additional 1,740,113 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FIL Ltd increased its position in shares of Zoetis by 372.2% during the fourth quarter. FIL Ltd now owns 2,134,404 shares of the company's stock valued at $268,551,000 after purchasing an additional 1,682,384 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 92.80% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ZTS has been the subject of several research reports. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Zoetis from $95.00 to $85.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Zoetis from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Argus restated a "hold" rating on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Citigroup reduced their price objective 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. Finally, UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Zoetis from $130.00 to $99.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $119.50.

Zoetis Price Performance

Zoetis stock opened at $75.32 on Friday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $31.58 billion, a PE ratio of 12.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 0.75. Zoetis Inc. has a one year low of $71.47 and a one year high of $160.48. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $77.29 and a 200 day simple moving average of $104.25.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $1.53 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.60 by ($0.07). Zoetis had a net margin of 27.80% and a return on equity of 66.85%. The company had revenue of $2.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.30 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.48 EPS. Zoetis's quarterly revenue was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Zoetis has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.850-7.000 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.87 EPS for the current fiscal 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 20th. Zoetis's payout ratio is currently 35.16%.

Insider Transactions at Zoetis

In other news, Director Michael B. Mccallister bought 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 11th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $77.76 per share, with a total value of $233,280.00. Following the acquisition, the director 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. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Frank A. Damelio bought 6,650 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $75.39 per share, with a total value of $501,343.50. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 21,458 shares in the company, valued at $1,617,718.62. This represents a 44.91% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have bought 11,650 shares of company stock valued at $886,384. 0.22% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Zoetis News Summary

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

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.