Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI Sells 22,196 Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI decreased its stake in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Free Report) by 14.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 135,935 shares of the company's stock after selling 22,196 shares during the period. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI's holdings in PepsiCo were worth $20,382,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC bought a new position in PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Elite Financial Inc. acquired a new position in PepsiCo during the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in PepsiCo during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. acquired a new position in PepsiCo during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Summit Securities Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Institutional investors own 73.07% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Thursday. Evercore ISI set a $140.00 price target on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Cowen reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Thursday. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $175.00 to $169.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an "equal weight" rating on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Thursday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $158.00.

PepsiCo Stock Up 7.5%

NASDAQ:PEP traded up $10.09 on Thursday, hitting $145.44. The stock had a trading volume of 26,154,400 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,202,126. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.13, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.83. The stock has a market cap of $199.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.23 and a beta of 0.45. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 1 year low of $127.60 and a 1 year high of $180.91. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $131.69 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $141.29.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 17th. The company reported $2.12 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.03 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $22.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.28 billion. PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.24% and a return on equity of 58.28%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.28 EPS. Analysts predict that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 6th were given a dividend of $1.4225 per share. This is an increase from PepsiCo's previous quarterly dividend of $1.36. This represents a $5.69 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.91%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 6th. PepsiCo's dividend payout ratio is currently 83.68%.

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.