KCM Investment Advisors LLC Trims Stock Position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

KCM Investment Advisors LLC reduced its stake in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 4.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 42,682 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,040 shares during the period. KCM Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $6,490,000 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 fourth quarter valued at $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in PepsiCo in the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

PepsiCo Price Performance

PepsiCo stock opened at $146.61 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $149.33 and a 200 day moving average price of $157.21. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 12-month low of $141.51 and a 12-month high of $183.41. The stock has a market cap of $201.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.09, a PEG ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.49.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $27.78 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $27.89 billion. PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.43% and a return on equity of 58.87%. The business’s revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.78 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th were given a dividend of $1.355 per share. This represents a $5.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.70%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 7th. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is 77.99%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. BNP Paribas cut their price objective on PepsiCo from $162.00 to $160.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. StockNews.com cut shares of PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price 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 restated a “market perform” rating on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on PepsiCo from $183.00 to $165.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, PepsiCo presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $169.88.

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.