Baird Financial Group Inc. Sells 123,340 Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Baird Financial Group Inc. cut its position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Free Report) by 9.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,241,785 shares of the company's stock after selling 123,340 shares during the quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.09% of PepsiCo worth $188,826,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Collier Financial acquired a new stake in PepsiCo during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in PepsiCo in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new stake in PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

PepsiCo Price Performance

PEP stock traded down $1.76 during trading on Monday, reaching $131.99. 8,967,952 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,235,703. PepsiCo, Inc. has a twelve month low of $131.52 and a twelve month high of $183.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.65. The company has a market capitalization of $180.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.99, a P/E/G ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a 50-day moving average of $145.55 and a two-hundred day moving average of $151.92.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.49 by ($0.01). PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.43% and a return on equity of 58.87%. The firm had revenue of $17.92 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.81 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.61 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th were issued a $1.355 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 7th. This represents a $5.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.11%. PepsiCo's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 79.71%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on PepsiCo from $168.00 to $153.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Bank of America dropped their target price on PepsiCo from $155.00 to $150.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 25th. Evercore ISI set a $140.00 price target on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $175.00 to $169.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $158.00 to $159.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $160.69.

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.