Stevens Capital Management LP Grows Stock Holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Stevens Capital Management LP grew its position in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 103.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 21,945 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 11,178 shares during the period. PepsiCo makes up 0.9% of Stevens Capital Management LP’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Stevens Capital Management LP’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $3,727,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in PEP. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA lifted its stake in PepsiCo by 80.5% in the fourth quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA now owns 157 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Life Planning Partners Inc bought a new stake in PepsiCo in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Naples Money Management LLC bought a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the fourth quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, Avion Wealth raised its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 61.7% during the fourth quarter. Avion Wealth now owns 241 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PepsiCo Price Performance

PEP traded down $1.10 during trading on Friday, hitting $175.58. 4,463,959 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,855,207. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 1 year low of $155.83 and a 1 year high of $196.88. The company has a market cap of $241.39 billion, a PE ratio of 26.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.53. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $169.22 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $167.76. 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 (NASDAQ:PEP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.61 EPS 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 business had revenue of $18.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.08 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.50 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 paid a dividend of $1.265 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $5.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.88%. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is presently 76.09%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on PEP. 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 research note on Monday, March 18th. Citigroup upgraded shares of PepsiCo from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $180.00 to $195.00 in a report on Monday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $178.00 to $181.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $181.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Finally, Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $195.00 price target on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Tuesday. Six investment 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 presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.