Calamos Advisors LLC Sells 15,304 Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Calamos Advisors LLC trimmed its position in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 4.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 305,749 shares of the company’s stock after selling 15,304 shares during the period. Calamos Advisors LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $51,928,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in PepsiCo by 34.0% in the 1st quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 1,128,044 shares of the company’s stock valued at $188,812,000 after acquiring an additional 286,169 shares during the last quarter. AMI Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. AMI Investment Management Inc. now owns 16,627 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,783,000 after buying an additional 113 shares in the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. grew its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 29.3% in the 1st quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 5,562 shares of the company’s stock worth $931,000 after buying an additional 1,262 shares in the last quarter. Wsfs Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 117.2% in the 1st quarter. Wsfs Capital Management LLC now owns 2,995 shares of the company’s stock worth $501,000 after buying an additional 1,616 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Equitable Holdings Inc. grew its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 8.5% in the 1st quarter. Equitable Holdings Inc. now owns 26,909 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,504,000 after buying an additional 2,116 shares in the last quarter. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

NASDAQ PEP traded up $2.79 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $172.27. 5,371,658 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,719,607. The business’s 50 day moving average is $168.58 and its 200-day moving average is $167.38. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 1 year low of $155.83 and a 1 year high of $196.88. The company has a market capitalization of $236.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a current ratio of 0.85.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last announced its earnings results on Friday, February 9th. The company reported $1.78 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.72 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $27.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.40 billion. PepsiCo had a net margin of 9.92% and a return on equity of 58.03%. PepsiCo’s revenue was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.67 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 1st were paid a $1.265 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $5.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.94%. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is currently 77.02%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PEP has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Argus cut shares of PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $195.00 price objective on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $181.00 to $184.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of PepsiCo from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $190.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 18th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $180.00 price target on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $186.92.

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.