Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Lowers Holdings in Zoetis Inc. $ZTS

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. trimmed its position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 89.8% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 35,418 shares of the company’s stock after selling 313,511 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $4,456,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Isthmus Partners LLC grew its position in Zoetis by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC now owns 74,119 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,326,000 after buying an additional 2,626 shares during the last quarter. Dash Acquisitions Inc. grew its position in Zoetis by 8.7% in the 4th quarter. Dash Acquisitions Inc. now owns 56,009 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,096,000 after buying an additional 4,475 shares during the last quarter. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP boosted its position in shares of Zoetis by 17.2% during the 4th quarter. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP now owns 3,114 shares of the company’s stock worth $394,000 after purchasing an additional 457 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its position in shares of Zoetis by 311.3% during the 4th quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 142,457 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,925,000 after purchasing an additional 107,818 shares in the last quarter. Finally, New York Life Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Zoetis by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 65,904 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,292,000 after purchasing an additional 862 shares in the last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on ZTS shares. Bank of America boosted their target price 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. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and set a $115.00 target price on shares of Zoetis in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Zoetis from $145.00 to $112.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Zoetis from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Zoetis from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $133.92.

Zoetis Trading Down 0.1%

NYSE:ZTS opened at $81.26 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $34.06 billion, a PE ratio of 13.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.33 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. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $108.11 and a 200-day simple moving average of $118.47.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $1.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.60 by ($0.07). The firm 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 company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.48 EPS. Zoetis has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.850-7.000 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 20th. Zoetis’s payout ratio is 35.16%.

Insider Transactions at Zoetis

In other news, Director Michael B. Mccallister purchased 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 11th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $77.76 per share, with a total value of $233,280.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 24,524 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,906,986.24. This represents a 13.94% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Frank A. Damelio purchased 6,650 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $75.39 per share, with a total value of $501,343.50. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 21,458 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,617,718.62. The trade was a 44.91% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders bought 11,650 shares of company stock valued at $886,384 in the last 90 days. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.