Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. Acquires 6,532 Shares of Zoetis Inc. $ZTS

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. grew its holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 19.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 40,275 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,532 shares during the quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $5,067,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Heritage Investors Management Corp raised its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Heritage Investors Management Corp now owns 204,801 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,768,000 after purchasing an additional 4,597 shares in the last quarter. Plan A Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of Zoetis by 10.3% in the 4th quarter. Plan A Wealth LLC now owns 2,043 shares of the company’s stock worth $257,000 after buying an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Zoetis by 132.3% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 3,881 shares of the company’s stock worth $488,000 after buying an additional 2,210 shares during the last quarter. Mach 1 Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Zoetis in the 4th quarter worth approximately $396,000. Finally, Griffin Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Zoetis by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Griffin Asset Management Inc. now owns 32,132 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,043,000 after buying an additional 760 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on ZTS shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Zoetis from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Zoetis in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $190.00 to $130.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Leerink Partners reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Zoetis in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $133.92.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Paul Bisaro bought 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were bought at an average price of $75.88 per share, with a total value of $151,760.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 27,862 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,114,168.56. This trade represents a 7.73% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Frank A. Damelio bought 6,650 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $75.39 per share, for a total transaction of $501,343.50. Following the transaction, the director owned 21,458 shares in the company, valued at $1,617,718.62. The trade was a 44.91% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have purchased 11,650 shares of company stock valued at $886,384. Insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis Stock Up 1.5%

NYSE:ZTS opened at $81.26 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $34.06 billion, a PE ratio of 13.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 0.87. Zoetis Inc. has a twelve month low of $72.38 and a twelve month high of $172.23. The company has a current ratio of 3.15, a quick ratio of 1.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.80. The company’s 50 day moving average is $108.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $118.65.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $1.53 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.60 by ($0.07). The company had revenue of $2.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.48 EPS. Zoetis has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.850-7.000 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.88 EPS for the current year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

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 given a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 20th. Zoetis’s 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.