Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Trims Stake in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Free Report) by 10.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 282,875 shares of the company's stock after selling 33,573 shares during the quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc.'s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $43,014,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,729,565,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $589,307,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in PepsiCo by 18.1% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 25,217,043 shares of the company's stock worth $3,834,504,000 after buying an additional 3,856,193 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in PepsiCo by 21.1% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 13,021,316 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,293,049,000 after purchasing an additional 2,264,445 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in PepsiCo by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 133,371,504 shares of the company's stock worth $20,280,471,000 after acquiring an additional 1,376,133 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 73.07% of the company's stock.

PepsiCo Stock Down 4.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ:PEP traded down $6.87 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $135.39. The stock had a trading volume of 6,686,075 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,110,842. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.82. The firm's 50 day moving average is $148.07 and its 200-day moving average is $154.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $185.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.48, a P/E/G ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.49. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 1 year low of $135.39 and a 1 year high of $183.41.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.52 by ($0.04). PepsiCo had a return on equity of 58.87% and a net margin of 10.43%. The business had revenue of $17.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $17.81 billion. Research analysts predict that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th were given a dividend of $1.355 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 7th. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.00%. PepsiCo's dividend payout ratio is presently 77.99%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on PepsiCo from $184.00 to $178.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of PepsiCo from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $171.00 to $170.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $193.00 to $175.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. BNP Paribas cut their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $162.00 to $160.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their price objective on PepsiCo from $183.00 to $160.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $165.50.

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.