Pacer Advisors Inc. Acquires 21,964 Shares of Zoetis Inc. $ZTS

Key Points

• Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its Zoetis stake by 18.3% in the fourth quarter, buying 21,964 additional shares and bringing its total holdings to 141,883 shares worth about $17.85 million.
• Insider buying was also notable, with directors Michael B. Mccallister and Paul Bisaro purchasing shares in May; insiders bought 11,650 shares over the last quarter in total.
• Zoetis faces mixed signals: analysts currently rate the stock a consensus “Hold,” while the company also reported a slight earnings miss and is dealing with multiple securities class action lawsuits that add legal overhang.

Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 18.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 141,883 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 21,964 shares during the quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Zoetis were worth $17,852,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. RFG Advisory LLC raised its position in Zoetis by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. RFG Advisory LLC now owns 1,708 shares of the company's stock worth $215,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. YANKCOM Partnership increased its stake in shares of Zoetis by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. YANKCOM Partnership now owns 2,402 shares of the company's stock valued at $302,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the period. Beese Fulmer Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Zoetis by 2.4% in the third quarter. Beese Fulmer Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,672 shares of the company's stock worth $537,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the period. Quest 10 Wealth Builders Inc. increased its position in Zoetis by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Quest 10 Wealth Builders Inc. now owns 1,904 shares of the company's stock valued at $240,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the period. Finally, Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. lifted its position in shares of Zoetis by 4.4% in the 3rd quarter. Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. now owns 2,043 shares of the company's stock worth $299,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.80% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Michael B. Mccallister bought 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 11th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $77.76 per share, with a total value of $233,280.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly 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 acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Paul Bisaro bought 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $75.88 per share, for a total transaction of $151,760.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 27,862 shares in the company, valued at $2,114,168.56. This represents a 7.73% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have bought 11,650 shares of company stock worth $886,384. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Zoetis from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Zoetis from $190.00 to $130.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Leerink Partners restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Zoetis in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $160.00 target price on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $115.00 price target on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $133.92.

Key Zoetis News

Here are the key news stories impacting Zoetis this week:

• Negative Sentiment: Multiple law firms, including Rosen, The Gross Law Firm, Kessler Topaz, Bragar Eagel & Squire, and others, announced or reiterated securities class actions against Zoetis, with claims tied to alleged misstatements and omissions about product adoption during the January 14, 2025 to May 6, 2026 period. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: The lawsuits highlighted a July 27, 2026 lead-plaintiff deadline and suggested investors who bought ZTS during the class period may have suffered losses, increasing legal overhang and uncertainty for the stock. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks noted ZTS recently outperformed the broader market, but that commentary was largely backward-looking and did not change the heavier focus on litigation headlines. Article Title

Zoetis Trading Down 0.0%

ZTS opened at $78.69 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $93.01 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $112.54. Zoetis Inc. has a 1-year low of $72.38 and a 1-year high of $161.77. The company has a market cap of $32.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a current ratio of 3.15, a quick ratio of 1.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.80.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $2.26 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. Zoetis had a return on equity of 66.85% and a net margin of 27.80%.Zoetis's revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.48 EPS. Zoetis has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.850-7.000 EPS. Analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared 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 2.7%. Zoetis's dividend payout ratio is presently 35.16%.

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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