Kentucky Retirement Systems Has $4.88 Million Stock Holdings in Zoetis Inc. $ZTS

Kentucky Retirement Systems lifted its holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 47.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 41,281 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 13,263 shares during the quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems' holdings in Zoetis were worth $4,880,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Prosperity Bancshares Inc bought a new position in shares of Zoetis in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Root Financial Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 66.5% in the first quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 258 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new position in Zoetis in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Institutional investors own 92.80% of the company's stock.

Zoetis Trading Down 2.4%

ZTS opened at $76.04 on Friday. The firm's fifty day moving average is $77.13 and its two-hundred day moving average is $102.66. 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 firm has a market cap of $31.88 billion, a PE ratio of 12.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.75. Zoetis Inc. has a twelve month low of $71.47 and a twelve month high of $160.48.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last announced 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). Zoetis had a net margin of 27.80% and a return on equity of 66.85%. The firm had revenue of $2.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.30 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.48 EPS. Zoetis's quarterly revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. Zoetis has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.850-7.000 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.87 EPS for the current year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders 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 yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 20th. Zoetis's payout ratio is presently 35.16%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Zoetis

In other Zoetis news, Director Frank A. Damelio purchased 6,650 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $75.39 per share, for a total transaction of $501,343.50. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 21,458 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,617,718.62. The trade was a 44.91% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Michael B. Mccallister purchased 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director owned 24,524 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,906,986.24. This trade represents a 13.94% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders acquired 11,650 shares of company stock valued at $886,384. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on ZTS. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on Zoetis from $150.00 to $104.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Barclays dropped their target price on Zoetis from $136.00 to $85.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. UBS Group cut their price target on Zoetis from $99.00 to $85.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Weiss Ratings cut Zoetis from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "sell (d)" rating in a report on Friday, June 12th. Finally, HSBC lowered their price objective on Zoetis from $140.00 to $95.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Zoetis has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $118.33.

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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