Montag & Caldwell LLC Reduces Stake in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Montag & Caldwell LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 18.7% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 3,008 shares of the company’s stock after selling 691 shares during the quarter. Montag & Caldwell LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $457,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of PEP. Collier Financial acquired a new stake in PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Summit Securities Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. 73.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

Shares of PepsiCo stock opened at $146.75 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 1-year low of $138.33 and a 1-year high of $183.41. The company has a market cap of $201.24 billion, a PE ratio of 21.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a 50 day moving average of $148.39 and a 200-day moving average of $155.52.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $27.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $27.89 billion. PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.43% and a return on equity of 58.87%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.78 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th were given a $1.355 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 7th. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.69%. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is currently 77.99%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on PEP shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. UBS Group reduced their target price on PepsiCo from $193.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $184.00 to $178.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. CICC Research reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada started coverage on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. They issued a $172.00 target price for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, PepsiCo currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $169.88.

PepsiCo Company 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.