Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Decreases Stock Holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 9.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 320,473 shares of the company’s stock after selling 33,407 shares during the period. Epoch Investment Partners Inc.’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $56,086,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Strategy Asset Managers LLC lifted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 0.9% in the first quarter. Strategy Asset Managers LLC now owns 6,632 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,161,000 after buying an additional 57 shares during the period. SYM FINANCIAL Corp raised its position in shares of PepsiCo by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. SYM FINANCIAL Corp now owns 2,290 shares of the company’s stock worth $389,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. Clearwater Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of PepsiCo by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Clearwater Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,758 shares of the company’s stock worth $468,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. Security Financial Services INC. raised its position in shares of PepsiCo by 1.6% during the first quarter. Security Financial Services INC. now owns 3,943 shares of the company’s stock worth $690,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. Finally, Arbor Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of PepsiCo by 3.6% during the first quarter. Arbor Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,779 shares of the company’s stock worth $311,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

PepsiCo Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of PEP traded up $1.73 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $172.75. 5,746,255 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,470,916. The company has a market cap of $237.28 billion, a PE ratio of 25.07, a PEG ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 0.52. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $168.72 and its 200-day moving average is $169.87. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 52 week low of $155.83 and a 52 week high of $192.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.83.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 11th. The company reported $2.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.16 by $0.12. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 57.37% and a net margin of 10.34%. The company had revenue of $22.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.59 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.09 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 6th will be paid a dividend of $1.355 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 6th. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.14%. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is 78.66%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on PEP. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on PepsiCo from $184.00 to $182.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 12th. TD Cowen dropped their price target on PepsiCo from $200.00 to $190.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 3rd. BNP Paribas began coverage on PepsiCo in a research report on Monday, June 24th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $174.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on PepsiCo from $190.00 to $185.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on PepsiCo from $175.00 to $170.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, PepsiCo presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $185.53.

Insider Activity at PepsiCo

In related news, CEO Ramkumar Krishnan sold 5,620 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.00, for a total transaction of $1,000,360.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 53,953 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,603,634. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.15% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

PepsiCo Profile

PepsiCo, Inc engages in the manufacture, marketing, distribution, and sale of various beverages and convenient foods worldwide. The company operates through seven segments: Frito-Lay North America; Quaker Foods North America; PepsiCo Beverages North America; Latin America; Europe; Africa, Middle East and South Asia; and Asia Pacific, Australia and New Zealand and China Region.