Zoetis Inc. $ZTS Shares Acquired by Geode Capital Management LLC

Key Points

• Geode Capital Management increased its Zoetis stake by 1.7% in the fourth quarter, ending with 11.3 million shares worth about $1.42 billion. Institutional ownership remains very high, with hedge funds and other institutions holding about 92.8% of the stock.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed: several firms maintained or cut ratings and price targets, and the stock currently carries an average Hold rating with a consensus target of $133.92. Recent notes included both buy/overweight views and more cautious hold/sell calls.
• Zoetis recently missed Q1 earnings and revenue estimates and lowered full-year guidance, which has helped fuel legal scrutiny and class action efforts. The stock has also fallen sharply, trading near $78.36 versus a 52-week high of $172.23.

Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 1.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,327,679 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 189,235 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC owned about 2.57% of Zoetis worth $1,420,294,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its stake in shares of Zoetis by 79.2% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 4,932,787 shares of the company's stock worth $622,222,000 after buying an additional 2,179,578 shares during the last quarter. Seilern Investment Management Ltd increased its stake in shares of Zoetis by 361.2% in the fourth quarter. Seilern Investment Management Ltd now owns 333,465 shares of the company's stock worth $41,957,000 after buying an additional 261,155 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its stake in shares of Zoetis by 134.4% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,631,619 shares of the company's stock worth $205,290,000 after buying an additional 935,432 shares during the last quarter. Prudential PLC increased its stake in shares of Zoetis by 17.7% in the third quarter. Prudential PLC now owns 197,852 shares of the company's stock worth $28,950,000 after buying an additional 29,702 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AE Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Zoetis by 71.3% in the fourth quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 144,531 shares of the company's stock worth $18,185,000 after buying an additional 60,167 shares during the last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on ZTS. BTIG Research restated a "buy" rating and issued a $160.00 price target on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of Zoetis from $105.00 to $95.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Zoetis from $190.00 to $130.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Leerink Partners reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Zoetis from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Six 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $133.92.

More Zoetis News

Here are the key news stories impacting Zoetis this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zoetis presented at the Stifel Jaws & Paws Conference, which may help reassure investors by giving management a venue to discuss strategy, operations, and the path forward. Zoetis Inc. (ZTS) Presents at Stifel Jaws & Paws Conference 2026 Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Argus reiterated a “hold” rating on Zoetis, suggesting analysts are not currently seeing a major catalyst for a near-term rebound. Zoetis had its "hold" rating reaffirmed by Argus
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple law firms announced or expanded class action efforts against Zoetis, with investors alleging harm tied to the period from January 14, 2025 through May 6, 2026; these repeated filings keep legal overhang front and center for shareholders. Rosen Law Firm Urges Zoetis Inc. NYSE: ZTS Stockholders to Contact the Firm for Information About Their Rights
• Negative Sentiment: The lawsuits stem from Zoetis’ Q1 results, when the company missed earnings and revenue estimates and cut full-year guidance, raising concerns about growth and execution. Zoetis (ZTS) Securities Fraud Investigation - Levi & Korsinsky

Insider Transactions at Zoetis

In other news, Director Michael B. Mccallister purchased 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 11th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $77.76 per share, for a total transaction of $233,280.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 24,524 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,906,986.24. The trade was a 13.94% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Paul Bisaro acquired 2,000 shares of Zoetis stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $75.88 per share, with a total value of $151,760.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly 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 ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders bought 11,650 shares of company stock worth $886,384. Insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

Zoetis Stock Down 1.4%

Zoetis stock opened at $78.36 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $105.08 and a 200-day simple moving average of $117.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.80, a quick ratio of 1.91 and a current ratio of 3.15. Zoetis Inc. has a one year low of $72.38 and a one year high of $172.23.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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). The firm 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%.The firm's revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.48 EPS. Zoetis has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.850-7.000 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 20th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 20th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. Zoetis's dividend payout ratio is currently 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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