Zoetis Inc. $ZTS Stake Lessened by KBC Group NV

Key Points

• KBC Group NV reduced its Zoetis stake by 11.8% in the first quarter, selling 46,132 shares and ending with 344,903 shares worth about $40.8 million.
• Zoetis has seen mixed investor and legal activity, including heavy institutional ownership, insider buying by two directors, and ongoing class-action reminders tied to alleged securities-law violations.
• Analysts remain cautious overall after several target cuts; the stock currently carries a consensus Hold rating with an average price target of $120.83, while Zoetis also reported a quarterly earnings miss and a 2.8% dividend yield.

KBC Group NV lessened its stake in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS - Free Report) by 11.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 344,903 shares of the company's stock after selling 46,132 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV owned approximately 0.08% of Zoetis worth $40,771,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. J. Stern & Co. LLP grew its stake in Zoetis by 12,431.2% in the fourth quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 24,069,492 shares of the company's stock worth $3,028,423,000 after purchasing an additional 23,877,416 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Zoetis during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $734,425,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Zoetis by 12.9% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 47,780,974 shares of the company's stock worth $6,011,802,000 after buying an additional 5,474,210 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in Zoetis by 269.0% during the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 2,387,059 shares of the company's stock worth $300,340,000 after buying an additional 1,740,113 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FIL Ltd grew its position in shares of Zoetis by 372.2% in the 4th quarter. FIL Ltd now owns 2,134,404 shares of the company's stock worth $268,551,000 after acquiring an additional 1,682,384 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.80% of the company's stock.

More Zoetis News

Here are the key news stories impacting Zoetis this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zoetis saw unusual options activity, with traders buying 8,095 call options, about 59% above the average daily volume, suggesting some speculative bullish interest.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several law firms, including Rosen Law Firm, Glancy Prongay Wolke & Rotter LLP, the Schall Law Firm, Bronstein Gewirtz & Grossman LLC, DJS Law Group, and Bragar Eagel & Squire, reminded investors about a July 27 lead-plaintiff deadline in an existing class action related to Zoetis securities purchased between January 14, 2025 and May 6, 2026. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: The class-action campaign keeps attention on alleged securities-law violations, which can create legal uncertainty and pressure the stock until the case is resolved. Article Title

Insider Buying and Selling at Zoetis

In other news, Director Paul Bisaro purchased 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $75.88 per share, for a total transaction of $151,760.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 27,862 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,114,168.56. The trade was a 7.73% 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 Frank A. Damelio acquired 6,650 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $75.39 per share, for a total transaction of $501,343.50. Following the acquisition, the director owned 21,458 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,617,718.62. This trade represents a 44.91% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have purchased 11,650 shares of company stock worth $886,384. 0.22% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on ZTS. Barclays lowered their price target on Zoetis from $136.00 to $85.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on Zoetis from $150.00 to $104.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Zoetis from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "sell (d)" rating in a report on Friday, June 12th. 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $115.00 target price on shares of Zoetis in a report on Friday, May 15th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $120.83.

Zoetis Stock Performance

Shares of ZTS stock opened at $76.17 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $31.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.63, a PEG ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 0.75. The business has a 50 day moving average of $77.32 and a two-hundred day moving average of $105.54. Zoetis Inc. has a 52 week low of $71.47 and a 52 week high of $160.48. 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 (NYSE:ZTS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $1.53 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.60 by ($0.07). The company had revenue of $2.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.30 billion. Zoetis had a return on equity of 66.85% and a net margin of 27.80%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.48 earnings per share. Zoetis has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.850-7.000 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.87 EPS for the current year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 20th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 20th. Zoetis's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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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