Zoetis Inc. $ZTS Shares Sold by Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S.

Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. reduced its position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 5.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,056,947 shares of the company’s stock after selling 58,570 shares during the quarter. Zoetis makes up about 2.4% of Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest holding. Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. owned approximately 0.24% of Zoetis worth $132,985,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates bought a new stake in Zoetis in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Zoetis in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp bought a new stake in Zoetis in the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Zoetis in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Zoetis in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. 92.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Frank A. Damelio bought 6,650 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $75.39 per share, with a total value of $501,343.50. Following the completion of the acquisition, 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Paul Bisaro bought 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $75.88 per share, with a total value of $151,760.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 27,862 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,114,168.56. The trade was a 7.73% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders purchased 11,650 shares of company stock valued at $886,384. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Leerink Partners reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Zoetis in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Zoetis in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Wall Street Zen lowered Zoetis from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $115.00 price objective on shares of Zoetis in a report on Friday. Finally, BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $160.00 price objective on shares of Zoetis in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $134.75.

Zoetis Stock Up 1.5%

NYSE:ZTS opened at $78.89 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $33.07 billion, a PE ratio of 13.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 0.87. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $110.54 and a 200-day moving average of $119.82. Zoetis Inc. has a 52 week low of $72.38 and a 52 week 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.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $1.53 EPS 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 the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. Zoetis had a net margin of 27.80% and a return on equity of 66.85%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.48 earnings per share. Zoetis has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.850-7.000 EPS. Analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.89 EPS for the current year.

Zoetis 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.