Principal Financial Group Inc. Sells 1,505,449 Shares of Zoetis Inc. $ZTS

Principal Financial Group Inc. reduced its position in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 73.2% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 552,331 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,505,449 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $65,291,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in Zoetis by 180.4% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 4,629 shares of the company’s stock valued at $754,000 after purchasing an additional 2,978 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in Zoetis by 6.2% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 11,293 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,859,000 after buying an additional 657 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Zoetis by 17.2% in the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 8,347 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,374,000 after buying an additional 1,224 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Zoetis by 73.8% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,348 shares of the company’s stock valued at $522,000 after buying an additional 1,422 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Glenview Trust co grew its holdings in shares of Zoetis by 11.8% during the second quarter. Glenview Trust co now owns 4,780 shares of the company’s stock valued at $745,000 after buying an additional 506 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.80% of the company’s stock.

Zoetis News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Zoetis this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zoetis announced the acquisition of VitalRADS, which should deepen its diagnostics business and broaden its cloud-based, AI-assisted veterinary workflow tools. Zoetis Gains as VitalRADS Deal Boosts Diagnostics Narrative
• Positive Sentiment: Zoetis launched Lenivia in Canada and the EU, giving the company a new international treatment option for canine osteoarthritis pain and potentially supporting sales growth. Zoetis Launches Lenivia in Canada and the European Union
• Neutral Sentiment: Several law firms issued reminders about an upcoming July 27 lead-plaintiff deadline in the pending securities class action, keeping legal uncertainty in focus for investors. Zoetis Inc. Shareholders Who Lost Money Have Opportunity to Lead Securities Fraud Lawsuit
• Negative Sentiment: The class-action headlines highlight allegations of securities fraud tied to the period from January 2025 through May 2026, which could weigh on sentiment until the case is resolved. Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman LLC Urges Zoetis Inc. Investors to Act

Zoetis Stock Up 3.3%

ZTS opened at $77.02 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.80, a current ratio of 3.15 and a quick ratio of 1.91. The company’s 50-day moving average is $77.46 and its 200 day moving average is $106.24. Zoetis Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $71.47 and a fifty-two week high of $160.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.77, a PEG ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 0.75.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last issued 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). The firm had revenue of $2.26 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. Zoetis had a return on equity of 66.85% and a net margin of 27.80%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.48 earnings per share. Zoetis has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.850-7.000 EPS. Research analysts expect that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $115.00 target price on shares of Zoetis in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Barclays cut their price target on Zoetis from $136.00 to $85.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Argus reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Zoetis in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Citigroup dropped their target price on Zoetis from $145.00 to $112.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 18th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Zoetis from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research report on Friday, June 12th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $120.83.

Insider Activity

In other Zoetis news, Director Paul Bisaro acquired 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $75.88 per share, with a total value of $151,760.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 27,862 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,114,168.56. This trade represents a 7.73% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Michael B. Mccallister acquired 3,000 shares of Zoetis stock in a transaction on 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 in the company, valued at approximately $1,906,986.24. This trade represents a 13.94% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders acquired a total of 11,650 shares of company stock valued at $886,384 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

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.