PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) Position Trimmed by Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lowered its position in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 1.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 934,310 shares of the company’s stock after selling 11,256 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $163,514,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA lifted its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of PepsiCo by 100.0% in the fourth quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC now owns 194 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Life Planning Partners Inc purchased a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Naples Money Management LLC bought a new position in PepsiCo during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Criterion Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in PepsiCo during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Institutional investors own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

PepsiCo Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of PepsiCo stock opened at $166.26 on Friday. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 1 year low of $155.83 and a 1 year high of $192.38. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $173.68 and its 200-day simple moving average is $170.35. The company has a market cap of $228.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.00, a PEG ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.52.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $18.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.08 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.50 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.16 EPS for the current year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 7th will be paid a dividend of $1.355 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 7th. This represents a $5.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.26%. This is an increase from PepsiCo’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.27. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is currently 81.50%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Ramkumar Krishnan sold 5,620 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.00, for a total value of $1,000,360.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 53,953 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,603,634. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.15% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently weighed in on PEP. Morgan Stanley raised shares of PepsiCo from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $190.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 18th. Argus lowered shares of PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $181.00 to $184.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $195.00 price target on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $209.00 to $211.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 16th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $186.38.

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.