J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG Trims Stake in Zoetis Inc. $ZTS

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG reduced its stake in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 93.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 9,503 shares of the company’s stock after selling 138,509 shares during the quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $1,123,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of ZTS. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates purchased a new stake in Zoetis in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc purchased a new position in shares of Zoetis during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Zoetis during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Root Financial Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Zoetis by 66.5% during the 1st quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 258 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares during the period. Finally, KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp bought a new position in shares of Zoetis during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Zoetis News

Here are the key news stories impacting Zoetis this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zoetis announced a deal to acquire VitalRADS, a provider of veterinary imaging services, which could support growth in its animal-health business by expanding diagnostic capabilities. Zoetis to acquire VitalRADS, a provider of veterinary imaging services
• Neutral Sentiment: Several firms, including Rosen, Glancy Prongay Wolke & Rotter, the Gross Law Firm, Levi & Korsinsky, and others, issued reminders about the Zoetis securities class action and the upcoming deadline, increasing the amount of negative press but not adding new case details. Pomerantz law firm investor alert
• Negative Sentiment: The class action alleges Zoetis and certain executives made misleading statements about companion-animal product performance while safety concerns and competitive losses were building, which is weighing on investor sentiment. ZTS shareholder alert
• Negative Sentiment: The stock also appears to be reflecting a weaker trading tone after recent earnings disappointment, with Zoetis having previously missed analyst estimates on EPS and revenue, adding to concerns about near-term fundamentals. Zoetis stock dips while market gains: key facts

Insider Transactions at Zoetis

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

Zoetis Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ZTS opened at $74.08 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $31.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 0.75. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $78.40 and a 200 day moving average price of $106.94. Zoetis Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $71.47 and a fifty-two week high of $160.48. 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 (NYSE:ZTS) last announced its quarterly 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 revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.48 earnings per share. Zoetis has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.850-7.000 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 20th will be issued a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 20th. Zoetis’s payout ratio is 35.16%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on ZTS. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of Zoetis from $95.00 to $85.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, June 26th. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Zoetis from $130.00 to $99.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $115.00 price target on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Zoetis from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Zoetis from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research note on Friday, June 12th. Eight equities research 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $123.46.

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.