Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. Has $49.81 Million Stake in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Free Report) by 7.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 332,179 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 24,445 shares during the quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc.'s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $49,807,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. acquired a new position in PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Summit Securities Group LLC purchased a new position in PepsiCo in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Finally, GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. acquired a new stake in PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.07% of the company's stock.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

PEP traded down $3.03 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $128.02. The company's stock had a trading volume of 10,914,772 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,861,514. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.13. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $132.60 and a 200 day simple moving average of $143.54. The stock has a market cap of $175.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.83, a PEG ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.45. PepsiCo, Inc. has a twelve month low of $127.66 and a twelve month high of $180.91.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.49 by ($0.01). PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.24% and a return on equity of 58.28%. The company had revenue of $17.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.81 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.61 earnings per share. PepsiCo's revenue for the quarter was down 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 6th will be given a dividend of $1.4225 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 6th. This is a boost from PepsiCo's previous quarterly dividend of $1.36. This represents a $5.69 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.44%. PepsiCo's payout ratio is currently 83.68%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PEP has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Dbs Bank lowered shares of PepsiCo from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Citigroup lowered their price target on PepsiCo from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. Bank of America dropped their price objective on PepsiCo from $155.00 to $150.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded PepsiCo from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $171.00 to $170.00 in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, Evercore ISI set a $140.00 price target on PepsiCo in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $159.75.

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.