Novare Capital Management LLC Trims Stake in Zoetis Inc. $ZTS

Key Points

• Novare Capital Management cut its Zoetis stake by 56% in Q4, selling 49,119 shares and leaving it with 38,614 shares valued at about $4.86 million.
• Analysts are mixed on Zoetis: recent price targets were lowered by several firms, and the stock’s overall consensus rating is currently Hold with an average target price of $137.50.
• Zoetis reported weaker-than-expected quarterly results, missing EPS and revenue estimates, while two directors bought shares in May, signaling some insider confidence despite the recent stock pressure.

Novare Capital Management LLC cut its holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 56.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 38,614 shares of the company's stock after selling 49,119 shares during the quarter. Novare Capital Management LLC's holdings in Zoetis were worth $4,858,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates purchased a new stake in shares of Zoetis in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Zoetis in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Zoetis in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Zoetis in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Board of the Pension Protection Fund purchased a new stake in shares of Zoetis in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ZTS has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group cut their price objective on Zoetis from $130.00 to $99.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $115.00 price objective on shares of Zoetis in a research report on Friday. Piper Sandler restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $135.00 price objective (down from $190.00) on shares of Zoetis in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus set a $105.00 price target on Zoetis in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Finally, William Blair reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $137.50.

Zoetis Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ZTS opened at $74.11 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 business's 50 day moving average price is $112.28 and its 200-day moving average price is $120.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.07 billion, a PE ratio of 12.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 0.87. 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 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 firm had revenue of $2.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.30 billion. Zoetis had a return on equity of 66.85% and a net margin of 27.80%.The business's revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.48 earnings per share. Zoetis has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.850-7.000 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Zoetis

In related news, Director Michael B. Mccallister acquired 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 11th. The shares were bought at an average price 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 approximately $1,906,986.24. This represents a 13.94% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Frank A. Damelio acquired 6,650 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $75.39 per share, for a total transaction of $501,343.50. Following the purchase, 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 position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have bought 11,650 shares of company stock valued at $886,384 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

Zoetis Company 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.

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