Zoetis Inc. $ZTS Shares Bought by Schwartz Investment Counsel Inc.

Schwartz Investment Counsel Inc. grew its holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 21.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 323,500 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 56,500 shares during the period. Zoetis comprises approximately 1.4% of Schwartz Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 29th biggest holding. Schwartz Investment Counsel Inc. owned about 0.08% of Zoetis worth $38,241,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates purchased a new stake in shares of Zoetis in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc acquired a new position in Zoetis during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp purchased a new position in Zoetis in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. 92.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on ZTS shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Zoetis from $190.00 to $130.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Barclays reduced 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. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and set a $115.00 price objective on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Citigroup cut their target price on Zoetis from $145.00 to $112.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price target 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. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $123.46.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Zoetis Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of Zoetis stock opened at $75.46 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.51, a PEG ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 0.75. Zoetis Inc. has a twelve month low of $71.47 and a twelve month high of $160.48. 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 business’s 50 day simple moving average is $79.17 and its 200-day simple moving average is $107.31.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last released its quarterly earnings data 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). Zoetis had a net margin of 27.80% and a return on equity of 66.85%. The company had revenue of $2.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.30 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.48 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Zoetis has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.850-7.000 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The company 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 dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 20th. Zoetis’s payout ratio 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.