Zoetis Inc. $ZTS Shares Sold by Saratoga Research & Investment Management

Key Points

• Saratoga Research & Investment Management sharply reduced its Zoetis stake by 93.3% in the fourth quarter, selling more than 102,000 shares and leaving it with 7,400 shares worth about $931,000.
• Zoetis insiders bought shares recently, including directors Michael B. Mccallister and Frank A. Damelio, who together purchased 9,650 shares in May, signaling insider confidence despite the stock's weakness.
• Zoetis shares have fallen sharply to around $74, near the 52-week low, after the company missed recent earnings and revenue estimates; analysts currently rate the stock a cautious Hold on average with a $137.50 price target.

Saratoga Research & Investment Management cut its stake in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 93.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 7,400 shares of the company's stock after selling 102,618 shares during the period. Saratoga Research & Investment Management's holdings in Zoetis were worth $931,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ZTS. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 180.4% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 4,629 shares of the company's stock worth $754,000 after purchasing an additional 2,978 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 6.2% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 11,293 shares of the company's stock worth $1,859,000 after purchasing an additional 657 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 17.2% during the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 8,347 shares of the company's stock worth $1,374,000 after purchasing an additional 1,224 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 73.8% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,348 shares of the company's stock worth $522,000 after purchasing an additional 1,422 shares during the period. Finally, Glenview Trust co raised its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 11.8% during the second quarter. Glenview Trust co now owns 4,780 shares of the company's stock worth $745,000 after purchasing an additional 506 shares during the period. 92.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other Zoetis news, Director Michael B. Mccallister acquired 3,000 shares of Zoetis stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 11th. The stock was bought at an average price of $77.76 per share, for a total transaction of $233,280.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 24,524 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 through this hyperlink. Also, Director Frank A. Damelio acquired 6,650 shares of Zoetis stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $75.39 per share, with a total value of $501,343.50. Following the transaction, the director owned 21,458 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,617,718.62. This represents a 44.91% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders acquired 11,650 shares of company stock worth $886,384. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

Zoetis Stock Performance

Shares of ZTS opened at $74.11 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $112.28 and a 200 day moving average price of $120.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.07 billion, a PE ratio of 12.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a quick ratio of 1.91, a current ratio of 3.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.80. Zoetis Inc. has a 52-week low of $72.38 and a 52-week high of $172.23.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. Zoetis had a net margin of 27.80% and a return on equity of 66.85%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.48 EPS. Zoetis has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.850-7.000 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on ZTS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Zoetis from $190.00 to $130.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 8th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $115.00 target price on shares of Zoetis in a report on Friday. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Zoetis from $130.00 to $99.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 8th. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Zoetis in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. They set a "buy" rating and a $145.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Piper Sandler reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $135.00 target price (down from $190.00) on shares of Zoetis in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $137.50.

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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