Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. Has $13.49 Million Stock Holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 3.6% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 81,803 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,082 shares during the quarter. PepsiCo accounts for 0.8% of Ameritas Investment Partners Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc.’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $13,492,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Gilbert & Cook Inc. increased its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 23.4% during the fourth quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 5,971 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,014,000 after buying an additional 1,133 shares in the last quarter. Aveo Capital Partners LLC raised its position in PepsiCo by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Aveo Capital Partners LLC now owns 5,480 shares of the company’s stock valued at $931,000 after purchasing an additional 229 shares during the last quarter. 9258 Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in PepsiCo by 56.0% in the fourth quarter. 9258 Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,281 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,407,000 after purchasing an additional 2,974 shares in the last quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 81.3% during the fourth quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC now owns 8,105 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,357,000 after purchasing an additional 3,635 shares during the last quarter. Finally, TrinityPoint Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. TrinityPoint Wealth LLC now owns 13,353 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,268,000 after buying an additional 332 shares during the last quarter. 73.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

PepsiCo Stock Down 2.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ:PEP opened at $171.18 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $173.51 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $171.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.83. The company has a market capitalization of $235.13 billion, a PE ratio of 24.84, a PEG ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 0.53. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 52 week low of $155.83 and a 52 week high of $183.41.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 11th. The company reported $2.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.16 by $0.12. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 57.37% and a net margin of 10.34%. The firm had revenue of $22.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.59 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.09 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.15 earnings per share for the current year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 6th will be issued a $1.355 dividend. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 6th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 78.66%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on PEP shares. Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $210.00 to $190.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 8th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $179.00 to $187.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on PepsiCo from $180.00 to $177.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 12th. BNP Paribas began coverage on PepsiCo in a research report on Monday, June 24th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $174.00 target price for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on PepsiCo from $175.00 to $170.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $185.53.

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.