E I Du Pont De Nemours And Co (DD), PepsiCo, Inc. (PEP), Mondelez International Inc (MDLZ): Trian Partners’ Top Picks for the Fourth Quarter

In addition to Trian Partners, several other hedge funds disclosed holding shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NYSE:PEP) in their equity portfolio. Donald Yacktman’s Asset Management for example owns more than 29 million shares, it the largest institutional shareholder amongst the hedge funds we follow. Boykin Curry’s Eagle Capital Management is also bullish regarding the stock, with a position amounting to 8.8 million shares.

Trian Partners’ top 3 picks would not be complete without Mondelez International Inc (NASDAQ:MDLZ). After increasing its exposure to the company by around 4.5 million shares last quarter, the hedge fund disclosed a position of 46 million shares, accounting for 17.8% of its equity portfolio. Compared to the firm’s other two top picks, this was the worst-performing stock, only gaining around 5% in 2014.

Mondelez International Inc (NASDAQ:MDLZ) has not been delivering great results as of late, partially due to a slowdown in emerging markets, along with a slide in coffee prices. As the company struggled to increase revenue, management was forced to reduce the top-line outlook for 2014 twice, thus suggesting category growth will not improve in the near future. Nevertheless, Trian Partners remained bullish throughout the fourth quarter, increasing its stake in the snack food and beverage products manufacturer by 10%. The activist hedge fund was not the only institutional shareholder of Mondelez stock; Mason Hawkins’ Southeastern Asset Management disclosed a holding amounting to 30.6 million shares, representing 5.7% of its equity portfolio. Eagle Capital Management is also betting on this stock, with a position of 21.9 million shares that account for almost 3% of its total equity portfolio.

Disclosure: Pablo Erbar holds no position in any stocks or funds mentioned.