First Trust Advisors LP Raises Stake in Keurig Dr Pepper Inc. (NASDAQ:KDP)

First Trust Advisors LP increased its position in Keurig Dr Pepper Inc. (NASDAQ:KDP - Free Report) by 8.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,470,744 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 184,295 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP owned 0.18% of Keurig Dr Pepper worth $79,360,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Forum Financial Management LP lifted its holdings in shares of Keurig Dr Pepper by 69.3% in the 4th quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 23,409 shares of the company's stock valued at $752,000 after purchasing an additional 9,580 shares during the last quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Keurig Dr Pepper by 16.3% in the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 6,285 shares of the company's stock valued at $202,000 after purchasing an additional 882 shares during the last quarter. Infusive Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Keurig Dr Pepper in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,963,000. Capital International Sarl lifted its holdings in shares of Keurig Dr Pepper by 17.5% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Sarl now owns 123,038 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,952,000 after purchasing an additional 18,292 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co increased its position in Keurig Dr Pepper by 9.8% in the 4th quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 1,311,782 shares of the company's stock valued at $42,111,000 after acquiring an additional 116,573 shares during the period. 93.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Keurig Dr Pepper Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:KDP traded down $0.06 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $34.40. 9,610,834 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 10,023,835. The stock has a market cap of $46.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.85, a PEG ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a current ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. Keurig Dr Pepper Inc. has a twelve month low of $30.12 and a twelve month high of $38.28. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $34.13 and a 200-day moving average price of $33.18.

Keurig Dr Pepper (NASDAQ:KDP - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $0.42 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.38 by $0.04. Keurig Dr Pepper had a net margin of 15.04% and a return on equity of 10.45%. The firm had revenue of $3.64 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.57 billion. On average, research analysts forecast that Keurig Dr Pepper Inc. will post 1.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Keurig Dr Pepper Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 11th. Investors of record on Friday, March 28th were paid a $0.23 dividend. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.67%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 28th. Keurig Dr Pepper's payout ratio is 83.64%.

Insider Activity at Keurig Dr Pepper

In other Keurig Dr Pepper news, Chairman Robert James Gamgort sold 416,000 shares of Keurig Dr Pepper stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.29, for a total value of $14,264,640.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 3,237,066 shares in the company, valued at $110,998,993.14. The trade was a 11.39 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, major shareholder Bevco B.V. Jab sold 83,950,000 shares of Keurig Dr Pepper stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.65, for a total value of $2,740,967,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 134,113,479 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,378,805,089.35. This trade represents a 38.50 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 84,421,350 shares of company stock valued at $2,757,137,010. 1.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on KDP shares. Morgan Stanley upgraded Keurig Dr Pepper from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $38.00 to $40.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. TD Cowen decreased their price target on Keurig Dr Pepper from $39.00 to $36.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Argus started coverage on Keurig Dr Pepper in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. They set a "buy" rating and a $40.00 price target for the company. Barclays set a $39.00 price target on Keurig Dr Pepper in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, HSBC raised Keurig Dr Pepper from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $36.00 to $42.00 in a report on Friday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $39.40.

Keurig Dr Pepper Company Profile

Keurig Dr Pepper Inc owns, manufactures, and distributors beverages and single serve brewing systems in the United States and internationally. It operates through three segments: U.S. Refreshment Beverages, U.S. Coffee, and International. The U.S. Refreshment Beverages segment manufactures and distributes branded concentrates, syrup, and finished beverages.