Zoetis Inc. $ZTS is Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S.’s 8th Largest Position

Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. increased its stake in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 7.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,115,517 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 76,881 shares during the period. Zoetis comprises approximately 3.1% of Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S.’s portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest position. Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. owned about 0.25% of Zoetis worth $163,222,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Nova Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Zoetis in the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Zoetis by 496.6% in the 3rd quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC now owns 173 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares during the period. REAP Financial Group LLC grew its stake in Zoetis by 201.5% in the second quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 196 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 131 shares during the period. NewSquare Capital LLC lifted its position in Zoetis by 69.1% during the second quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 208 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the period. Finally, 1248 Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Zoetis during the 1st quarter valued at $35,000. Institutional investors own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on ZTS shares. Barclays started coverage on shares of Zoetis in a research report on Monday, December 8th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $136.00 price target for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Zoetis to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Zoetis from $230.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Zoetis from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. Finally, Bank of America cut Zoetis from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $135.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $160.18.

Zoetis Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of ZTS stock opened at $125.82 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 2.28 and a current ratio of 3.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.45 billion, a PE ratio of 21.18, a PEG ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.97. Zoetis Inc. has a 52-week low of $115.25 and a 52-week high of $177.40. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $125.43 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $142.01.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.62 by $0.08. Zoetis had a return on equity of 57.19% and a net margin of 28.21%.The company had revenue of $2.40 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.42 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.58 earnings per share. Zoetis’s revenue was up .5% on a year-over-year basis. Zoetis has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.300-6.400 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 20th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. This is a boost from Zoetis’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 20th. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio is 33.67%.

About Zoetis

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.