PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) Shares Bought by Financial Strategies Group Inc.

Financial Strategies Group Inc. raised its position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 24.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 17,875 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 3,507 shares during the period. Financial Strategies Group Inc.’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $2,960,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of PEP. DHJJ Financial Advisors Ltd. purchased a new stake in PepsiCo in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA raised its position in PepsiCo by 80.5% in the fourth quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA now owns 157 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Life Planning Partners Inc purchased a new stake in PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Avion Wealth grew its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 61.7% in the fourth quarter. Avion Wealth now owns 241 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Financial Connections Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the fourth quarter worth $44,000. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on PEP. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $181.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Citigroup upgraded shares of PepsiCo from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $180.00 to $195.00 in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $183.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday. Argus downgraded shares of PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $195.00 target price on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $186.92.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:PEP traded up $0.55 on Tuesday, reaching $167.50. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 4,568,835 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,747,456. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $168.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $167.38. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 52-week low of $155.83 and a 52-week high of $196.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $230.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.61, a PEG ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.53.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last announced its earnings results on Friday, February 9th. The company reported $1.78 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.72 by $0.06. PepsiCo had a net margin of 9.92% and a return on equity of 58.03%. The business had revenue of $27.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $28.40 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.67 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.15 EPS for the current year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 1st were issued a dividend of $1.265 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $5.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.02%. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is currently 77.02%.

PepsiCo Profile

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.