Cambridge Trust Co. Has $5.84 Million Stock Position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Cambridge Trust Co. trimmed its position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 5.0% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 34,385 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,798 shares during the period. Cambridge Trust Co.’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $5,839,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of PEP. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 95,514.1% in the fourth quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 42,876,248 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,746,023,000 after buying an additional 42,831,405 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in PepsiCo during the 4th quarter valued at $2,519,707,000. Morgan Stanley raised its stake in PepsiCo by 21.0% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 26,720,027 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,827,240,000 after purchasing an additional 4,629,947 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its stake in PepsiCo by 9,623.6% during the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 3,058,061 shares of the company’s stock valued at $519,381,000 after purchasing an additional 3,026,611 shares during the last quarter. Finally, J.P. Morgan Private Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in PepsiCo during the 3rd quarter valued at $329,179,000. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

PepsiCo Price Performance

NASDAQ PEP traded up $1.81 on Thursday, hitting $171.29. 2,272,519 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,678,714. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $168.58 and a two-hundred day moving average of $167.38. The company has a market cap of $235.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 1-year low of $155.83 and a 1-year high of $196.88.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 9th. The company reported $1.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.72 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $27.84 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $28.40 billion. PepsiCo had a net margin of 9.92% and a return on equity of 58.03%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.67 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.15 EPS for the current year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 1st were given a dividend of $1.265 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $5.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.95%. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is presently 77.02%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of PepsiCo from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $190.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, March 18th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $199.00 to $209.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 5th. Argus lowered shares of PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $180.00 price target on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Monday, February 12th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $186.92.

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.