KBC Group NV Reduces Holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

KBC Group NV reduced its position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 65.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 282,417 shares of the company’s stock after selling 535,184 shares during the period. KBC Group NV’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $42,944,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of PEP. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in PepsiCo by 17,113.0% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 3,220,385 shares of the company’s stock worth $547,626,000 after purchasing an additional 3,201,676 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 5.1% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 57,268,030 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,738,429,000 after buying an additional 2,775,679 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in PepsiCo by 21.1% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 13,021,316 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,293,049,000 after acquiring an additional 2,264,445 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB grew its holdings in PepsiCo by 211.4% during the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 2,345,467 shares of the company’s stock worth $398,847,000 after acquiring an additional 1,592,343 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 5.6% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 21,360,850 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,632,413,000 after purchasing an additional 1,125,059 shares in the last quarter. 73.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on PEP shares. StockNews.com raised PepsiCo from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Bank of America dropped their price target on PepsiCo from $190.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, September 30th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $183.00 to $158.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 17th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $170.00 to $155.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $177.00 to $176.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $177.00.

PepsiCo Trading Up 3.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ:PEP opened at $154.61 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $153.88 and a 200-day moving average of $165.35. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96. The firm has a market cap of $212.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.54. PepsiCo, Inc. has a twelve month low of $141.51 and a twelve month high of $183.41.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 6th were paid a dividend of $1.355 per share. This represents a $5.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 6th. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is currently 79.94%.

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.