Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. Trims Stake in Zoetis Inc. $ZTS

Key Points

• Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. cut its Zoetis stake by 19.5% in the first quarter, leaving it with 72,403 shares valued at about $8.56 million.
• Zoetis reported mixed recent results, missing first-quarter EPS and revenue estimates, while analysts largely kept a cautious tone with a consensus Hold rating and lowered price targets from several firms.
• The company continues to face legal overhang from investor class-action notices tied to alleged securities fraud, even as insiders have been buying shares and Zoetis announced a quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share.

Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. lessened its position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 19.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 72,403 shares of the company's stock after selling 17,576 shares during the quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc.'s holdings in Zoetis were worth $8,559,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates purchased a new stake in Zoetis in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc purchased a new position in shares of Zoetis during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp bought a new position in shares of Zoetis during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Zoetis during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Zoetis in the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. 92.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Zoetis

Here are the key news stories impacting Zoetis this week:

• Neutral Sentiment: Barclays reiterated its Hold rating on Zoetis, signaling the firm still sees limited near-term upside after the company’s recent earnings miss and softer-than-expected revenue growth. Barclays Sticks to Its Hold Rating for Zoetis (ZTS)
• Neutral Sentiment: Zoetis also drew attention for its dividend profile, with commentary focused on dividend quality as a potential support for income-oriented investors. Zoetis Inc NYSE: ZTS Dividend Quality Draws Focus
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple law firms issued reminders about an investor lawsuit deadline tied to alleged securities fraud, with claims centered on possible misstatements and omissions about product adoption. These notices can add overhang and keep sentiment weak around ZTS. ZTS IMPORTANT DEADLINE: ROSEN, A LEADING LAW FIRM, Encourages Zoetis Inc. Investors...
• Negative Sentiment: Additional class-action announcements from other firms reinforced the same legal overhang, keeping attention on the July 27 lead-plaintiff deadline rather than on business fundamentals. Zoetis Inc. (ZTS) Investors: July 27, 2026, Filing Deadline in Securities Fraud Class Action...

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Zoetis news, Director Frank A. Damelio acquired 6,650 shares of Zoetis stock in a transaction that occurred 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 purchase, the director directly owned 21,458 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,617,718.62. This represents a 44.91% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Michael B. Mccallister bought 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 acquisition, 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. Insiders acquired 11,650 shares of company stock valued at $886,384 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

Zoetis Stock Down 0.1%

NYSE:ZTS opened at $74.73 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. Zoetis Inc. has a 1-year low of $71.47 and a 1-year high of $161.77. The company has a 50-day moving average of $84.04 and a 200 day moving average of $109.40. The firm has a market cap of $31.33 billion, a PE ratio of 12.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.75.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $1.53 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.60 by ($0.07). Zoetis had a net margin of 27.80% and a return on equity of 66.85%. The business had revenue of $2.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.30 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.48 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter 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, research analysts anticipate that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, July 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 20th. Zoetis's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.16%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on ZTS. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Zoetis from $95.00 to $85.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, June 26th. UBS Group reduced their target price on Zoetis from $130.00 to $99.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Argus reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Zoetis in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Zoetis from $145.00 to $112.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Finally, Leerink Partners restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Zoetis in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. Seven 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $126.92.

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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