Zoetis Inc. $ZTS Shares Sold by MetLife Investment Management LLC

Key Points

• MetLife Investment Management LLC reduced its holdings in Zoetis Inc. by 2.6%, now owning 132,594 shares valued at approximately $21.8 million after selling 3,562 shares in the first quarter.
• Zoetis reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, exceeding analysts' consensus estimates of $1.62 and showing a 4.2% increase in revenue year-over-year, totaling $2.46 billion.
• Analysts have mixed ratings for Zoetis, with a current average target price of $202.43 and a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy."

MetLife Investment Management LLC cut its position in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 2.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 132,594 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,562 shares during the quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC's holdings in Zoetis were worth $21,832,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ZTS. ICONIQ Capital LLC grew its stake in Zoetis by 9.8% in the 1st quarter. ICONIQ Capital LLC now owns 1,643 shares of the company's stock valued at $271,000 after acquiring an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. Quantitative Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Zoetis in the 1st quarter valued at about $3,426,000. Jump Financial LLC grew its stake in Zoetis by 146.5% in the 1st quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 131,600 shares of the company's stock valued at $21,668,000 after acquiring an additional 78,208 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Zoetis by 21.9% in the 1st quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 5,006 shares of the company's stock valued at $817,000 after acquiring an additional 901 shares during the last quarter. Finally, RBO & Co. LLC grew its stake in Zoetis by 23.4% in the 1st quarter. RBO & Co. LLC now owns 110,644 shares of the company's stock valued at $18,218,000 after acquiring an additional 20,993 shares during the last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Zoetis Price Performance

NYSE:ZTS opened at $156.3180 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $69.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a current ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05. The company's 50-day moving average is $153.84 and its two-hundred day moving average is $158.41. Zoetis Inc. has a 12-month low of $139.70 and a 12-month high of $200.33.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.62 by $0.14. Zoetis had a net margin of 27.83% and a return on equity of 56.90%. The company had revenue of $2.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.41 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.56 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. Zoetis has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.300-6.400 EPS. Research analysts expect that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 652 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $110,840.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 15,129 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,571,930. This trade represents a 4.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ZTS has been the topic of a number of research reports. Stifel Nicolaus cut shares of Zoetis from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $165.00 to $160.00 in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Leerink Partners cut shares of Zoetis from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $180.00 to $155.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $189.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Leerink Partnrs lowered shares of Zoetis from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, July 17th. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their target price on shares of Zoetis from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, August 11th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $202.43.

Zoetis Company Profile

Zoetis Inc engages in the discovery, development, manufacture, and commercialization of animal health medicines, vaccines, and diagnostic products and services in the United States and internationally. The company commercializes products primarily across species, including livestock, such as cattle, swine, poultry, fish, and sheep and others; and companion animals comprising dogs, cats, and horses.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ZTS? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.