Realta Investment Advisors Reduces Holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Realta Investment Advisors trimmed its position in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 12.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,239 shares of the company’s stock after selling 304 shares during the period. Realta Investment Advisors’ holdings in PepsiCo were worth $335,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PEP. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in PepsiCo by 9.2% in the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 99,785 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,968,000 after purchasing an additional 8,406 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 104.2% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,705,574 shares of the company’s stock valued at $259,350,000 after buying an additional 870,451 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its position in shares of PepsiCo by 11.0% during the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 350,225 shares of the company’s stock worth $59,549,000 after buying an additional 34,633 shares in the last quarter. Hudson Valley Investment Advisors Inc. ADV increased its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 12.8% in the fourth quarter. Hudson Valley Investment Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 41,580 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,323,000 after buying an additional 4,712 shares during the last quarter. Finally, IHT Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 19.3% in the 3rd quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC now owns 32,267 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,493,000 after purchasing an additional 5,220 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

PepsiCo Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:PEP opened at $144.58 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $198.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.54. The company’s fifty day moving average is $151.80 and its two-hundred day moving average is $164.26. The company has a quick ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 12-month low of $141.51 and a 12-month high of $183.41.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.02. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 57.32% and a net margin of 10.18%. The firm had revenue of $27.78 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $27.89 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.78 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a $1.355 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.75%. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is presently 77.99%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on PEP. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $158.00 to $153.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. StockNews.com cut shares of PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday. HSBC decreased their price target on PepsiCo from $186.00 to $170.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. BNP Paribas cut their price objective on PepsiCo from $162.00 to $160.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on PepsiCo from $185.00 to $168.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, PepsiCo has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $171.47.

About PepsiCo

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.