PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) Shares Bought by Great Valley Advisor Group Inc.

Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 5.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 77,414 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 3,813 shares during the period. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc.’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $13,148,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA grew its stake in PepsiCo by 80.5% during the 4th 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 last quarter. Life Planning Partners Inc acquired a new position in PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Naples Money Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Avion Wealth grew its position in PepsiCo by 61.7% during the fourth quarter. Avion Wealth now owns 241 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 92 shares during the period. 73.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

PepsiCo Stock Down 0.4 %

NASDAQ:PEP traded down $0.76 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $175.15. The stock had a trading volume of 4,339,790 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,789,368. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96. PepsiCo, Inc. has a twelve month low of $155.83 and a twelve month high of $196.88. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $169.74 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $168.16. The company has a market capitalization of $240.79 billion, a PE ratio of 26.33, a PEG ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.53.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.61 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.52 by $0.09. PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.00% and a return on equity of 57.37%. The company had revenue of $18.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.08 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.50 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.16 EPS for the current year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 7th will be given a dividend of $1.355 per share. This is a positive change from PepsiCo’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.27. This represents a $5.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.09%. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 76.09%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on PEP. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $178.00 to $181.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $184.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Citigroup raised shares of PepsiCo from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $180.00 to $195.00 in a report on Monday, February 12th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $199.00 to $209.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised shares of PepsiCo from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $190.00 price objective for the company in a report on Monday, March 18th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, PepsiCo currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $187.42.

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.