Principal Financial Group Inc. Has $65.29 Million Stock Holdings in Zoetis Inc. $ZTS

Key Points

• Principal Financial Group cut its Zoetis stake by 73.2% in the first quarter, selling more than 1.5 million shares and leaving it with 552,331 shares valued at about $65.3 million.
• Wall Street sentiment on Zoetis is mixed: analysts have issued an overall “Hold” consensus, with a consensus price target of $120.83 after several firms lowered their targets.
• Zoetis reported earnings below expectations in its latest quarter, but it also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share and recent positive developments including the VitalRADS acquisition and the launch of Lenivia in Canada and the EU.

Principal Financial Group Inc. lowered its stake in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 73.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 552,331 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,505,449 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.13% of Zoetis worth $65,291,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates acquired a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc acquired a new position in Zoetis in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Zoetis in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Root Financial Partners LLC raised its position in 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 during the last quarter. Finally, KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Institutional investors own 92.80% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on ZTS. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Zoetis from $95.00 to $85.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Argus reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Zoetis in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Zoetis from $190.00 to $130.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 8th. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Zoetis from $130.00 to $99.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Finally, HSBC cut their price target on shares of Zoetis from $140.00 to $95.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 6th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Zoetis has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $120.83.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Zoetis news, Director Michael B. Mccallister bought 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 11th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $77.76 per share, for a total transaction of $233,280.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 24,524 shares in the company, valued at $1,906,986.24. This trade represents a 13.94% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Paul Bisaro purchased 2,000 shares of the company's 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 purchase, the director owned 27,862 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,114,168.56. This trade represents a 7.73% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders acquired 11,650 shares of company stock valued at $886,384 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Zoetis

Here are the key news stories impacting Zoetis this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zoetis announced the acquisition of VitalRADS, which should deepen its diagnostics business and broaden its cloud-based, AI-assisted veterinary workflow tools. Zoetis Gains as VitalRADS Deal Boosts Diagnostics Narrative
• Positive Sentiment: Zoetis launched Lenivia in Canada and the EU, giving the company a new international treatment option for canine osteoarthritis pain and potentially supporting sales growth. Zoetis Launches Lenivia in Canada and the European Union
• Neutral Sentiment: Several law firms issued reminders about an upcoming July 27 lead-plaintiff deadline in the pending securities class action, keeping legal uncertainty in focus for investors. Zoetis Inc. Shareholders Who Lost Money Have Opportunity to Lead Securities Fraud Lawsuit
• Negative Sentiment: The class-action headlines highlight allegations of securities fraud tied to the period from January 2025 through May 2026, which could weigh on sentiment until the case is resolved. Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman LLC Urges Zoetis Inc. Investors to Act

Zoetis Price Performance

Shares of ZTS opened at $77.02 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $77.46 and a 200-day moving average of $106.24. 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 company has a market capitalization of $32.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 0.75. Zoetis Inc. has a 1 year low of $71.47 and a 1 year high of $160.48.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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 net margin of 27.80% and a return on equity of 66.85%. The company had revenue of $2.26 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.48 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. Zoetis has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.850-7.000 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 20th will be given 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 2.8%. Zoetis's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.16%.

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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