Lazard Asset Management LLC Sells 159,705 Shares of Zoetis Inc. $ZTS

Lazard Asset Management LLC trimmed its position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 14.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 912,970 shares of the company’s stock after selling 159,705 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC owned approximately 0.22% of Zoetis worth $107,922,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of ZTS. Delta Global Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Zoetis in the first quarter valued at approximately $2,253,000. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp increased its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 79.5% during the 1st quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp now owns 29,535 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,491,000 after acquiring an additional 13,084 shares during the last quarter. Lombard Odier Asset Management Switzerland SA raised its stake in Zoetis by 2.6% in the 1st quarter. Lombard Odier Asset Management Switzerland SA now owns 16,482 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,948,000 after acquiring an additional 412 shares during the period. Lombard Odier Asset Management Europe Ltd raised its stake in Zoetis by 33.3% in the 1st quarter. Lombard Odier Asset Management Europe Ltd now owns 93,097 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,005,000 after acquiring an additional 23,239 shares during the period. Finally, Waverly Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Zoetis by 19.6% during the 1st quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC now owns 12,421 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,468,000 after purchasing an additional 2,036 shares during the last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Zoetis Stock Performance

ZTS opened at $76.91 on Tuesday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $77.27 and a 200 day simple moving average of $103.71. The company has a market capitalization of $32.24 billion, a PE ratio of 12.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 0.75. Zoetis Inc. has a 1 year low of $71.47 and a 1 year high of $160.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.80, a current ratio of 3.15 and a quick ratio of 1.91.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $1.53 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 firm had revenue of $2.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.30 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.48 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Zoetis has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.850-7.000 EPS. Research analysts expect that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.87 EPS for the current year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, July 20th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 20th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio is 35.16%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ZTS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. HSBC reduced their price objective on shares of Zoetis from $140.00 to $95.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 6th. TD Cowen cut their target price on shares of Zoetis from $150.00 to $104.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Zoetis from $99.00 to $85.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Zoetis from $190.00 to $130.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Zoetis from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research note on Friday, June 12th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Zoetis presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $118.33.

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.