Steph & Co. Sells 100 Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Steph & Co. reduced its position in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 3.5% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 2,753 shares of the company’s stock after selling 100 shares during the quarter. Steph & Co.’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $468,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. DHJJ Financial Advisors Ltd. bought a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the third quarter worth about $25,000. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA raised 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 worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the period. Life Planning Partners Inc purchased a new position in PepsiCo during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Avion Wealth increased 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 purchasing an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pacific Center for Financial Services bought a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the 1st quarter valued at $47,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

PepsiCo Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ:PEP traded up $1.98 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $169.48. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 4,007,502 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,724,908. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $168.62 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $167.37. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 12 month low of $155.83 and a 12 month high of $196.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $232.95 billion, a PE ratio of 25.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.72 by $0.06. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 58.03% and a net margin of 9.92%. The firm had revenue of $27.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $28.40 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.67 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st were issued a $1.265 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $5.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.99%. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 77.02%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Barclays increased their price target on PepsiCo from $183.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on PepsiCo from $199.00 to $209.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 5th. Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $195.00 price objective on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Friday, February 9th. Argus lowered shares of PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $181.00 to $184.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, PepsiCo presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $186.92.

PepsiCo Company 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.