Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Acquires 15,118 Shares of Zoetis Inc. $ZTS

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group boosted its Zoetis stake by 376% in the fourth quarter, buying an additional 15,118 shares and bringing its total to 19,139 shares worth about $2.41 million.
• Insider buying has been active, with directors Michael B. Mccallister and Frank A. Damelio purchasing shares recently; over the past three months, insiders bought 11,650 shares valued at $886,384.
• Zoetis shares were trading down 1.2% at $80.36, after the company missed quarterly EPS and revenue estimates, though it also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 376.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 19,139 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 15,118 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in Zoetis were worth $2,408,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of ZTS. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates bought a new stake in Zoetis during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Zoetis during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp bought a new stake in Zoetis during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Zoetis during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Zoetis during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. 92.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Zoetis

In other news, Director Michael B. Mccallister bought 3,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $77.76 per share, with a total value of $233,280.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 24,524 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,906,986.24. This represents a 13.94% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Frank A. Damelio bought 6,650 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $75.39 per share, with a total value of $501,343.50. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 21,458 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,617,718.62. This represents a 44.91% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders bought 11,650 shares of company stock valued at $886,384. 0.22% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Zoetis Trading Down 1.2%

NYSE:ZTS opened at $80.36 on Wednesday. Zoetis Inc. has a twelve month low of $72.38 and a twelve month high of $172.23. The company has a quick ratio of 1.91, a current ratio of 3.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.80. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $106.72 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $117.88. The company has a market cap of $33.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 0.87.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $1.53 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.60 by ($0.07). Zoetis had a return on equity of 66.85% and a net margin of 27.80%.The firm had revenue of $2.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.30 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.48 EPS. The company's 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. As a group, analysts expect that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.88 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. Investors of record on Monday, July 20th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 20th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Zoetis's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 35.16%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on ZTS shares. Bank of America increased their target price on Zoetis from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. UBS Group reduced their price target on Zoetis from $130.00 to $99.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 8th. William Blair reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Zoetis in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $115.00 price target on shares of Zoetis in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on Zoetis from $105.00 to $95.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Zoetis currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $133.92.

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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