Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Sells 278,388 Shares of Zoetis Inc. $ZTS

Key Points

• Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management cut its Zoetis stake by 79.8% in the fourth quarter, selling 278,388 shares and leaving it with 70,541 shares worth about $8.9 million.
• Despite that sale, institutional ownership remains very high, with 92.8% of Zoetis stock held by institutions; several large investors, including Vanguard and Nordea, increased their positions.
• Zoetis reported mixed recent results: quarterly EPS and revenue came in below expectations, but the company reiterated FY2026 guidance and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share, yielding about 2.8%.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. reduced its stake in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 79.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 70,541 shares of the company's stock after selling 278,388 shares during the quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.'s holdings in Zoetis were worth $8,875,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of ZTS. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Zoetis by 12.9% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 47,780,974 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,011,802,000 after buying an additional 5,474,210 shares during the last quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Zoetis during the third quarter valued at about $394,010,000. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its stake in shares of Zoetis by 79.2% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 4,932,787 shares of the company's stock valued at $622,222,000 after buying an additional 2,179,578 shares during the last quarter. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 256.7% during the fourth quarter. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. now owns 2,168,078 shares of the company's stock worth $266,888,000 after purchasing an additional 1,560,314 shares during the period. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 83.4% during the third quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,697,827 shares of the company's stock worth $394,746,000 after purchasing an additional 1,227,085 shares during the period. 92.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Zoetis Stock Performance

Zoetis stock opened at $76.42 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 3.15, a quick ratio of 1.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.80. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $103.52 and a 200-day moving average of $116.71. The firm has a market cap of $32.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 0.75. Zoetis Inc. has a 1-year low of $72.38 and a 1-year high of $172.23.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 66.85% and a net margin of 27.80%.The company had revenue of $2.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.30 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.48 earnings per share. The business'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. Sell-side analysts expect that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.89 EPS for the current year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

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 issued a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 20th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. Zoetis's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.16%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Paul Bisaro acquired 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $75.88 per share, for a total transaction of $151,760.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 27,862 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,114,168.56. This represents a 7.73% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Frank A. Damelio acquired 6,650 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was bought at an average price of $75.39 per share, with a total value 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. This trade represents a 44.91% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders purchased 11,650 shares of company stock worth $886,384 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

Zoetis News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Zoetis this week:

• Negative Sentiment: Multiple law firms issued reminders and deadline notices tied to an ongoing securities fraud class action against Zoetis, alleging investors were harmed by false or misleading statements during the Jan. 14, 2025 to May 6, 2026 period. These headlines can weigh on sentiment because they raise legal overhang and potential financial/reputational risk.
• Negative Sentiment: Zoetis was reportedly downgraded after a steep broader market selloff, signaling weakening near-term sentiment from Wall Street and adding to pressure on the stock.
• Negative Sentiment: A bearish article highlighted lawsuits challenging the company’s companion-animal outlook, suggesting investors may be questioning growth assumptions for a key business segment.
• Neutral Sentiment: Zoetis presented at the 46th Annual William Blair Growth Stock Conference, which may help investors gauge management’s outlook and strategy, but no major new catalyst was highlighted in the transcript headline.
• Neutral Sentiment: One valuation-oriented piece argued Zoetis could be a deep-value opportunity with significant upside, which may support longer-term sentiment but is unlikely to outweigh today’s legal and rating-related headlines.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ZTS has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Argus reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Zoetis in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Leerink Partners reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Zoetis in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on shares of Zoetis from $105.00 to $95.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Zoetis from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Finally, William Blair reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Zoetis in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Zoetis currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target 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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