DZ Bank Lowers PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) to Hold

DZ Bank lowered shares of PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report issued on Friday, MarketBeat.com reports. The brokerage currently has $183.00 target price on the stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Wedbush restated an outperform rating and set a $195.00 price objective on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $175.00 to $170.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $180.00 to $177.00 and set a sector perform rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on PepsiCo from $184.00 to $182.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on PepsiCo from $210.00 to $200.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 9th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, PepsiCo presently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $185.53.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

Shares of PEP opened at $169.36 on Friday. PepsiCo has a 52-week low of $155.83 and a 52-week high of $192.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87. The firm has a market cap of $232.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.58, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.52. The business’s 50 day moving average is $169.91 and its two-hundred day moving average is $169.87.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 11th. The company reported $2.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.16 by $0.12. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 57.37% and a net margin of 10.34%. The firm had revenue of $22.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.59 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.09 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that PepsiCo will post 8.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 7th were issued a dividend of $1.355 per share. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 7th. This is an increase from PepsiCo’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.27. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is presently 78.66%.

Insider Buying and Selling at PepsiCo

In related news, CEO Ramkumar Krishnan sold 5,620 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 53,953 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,603,634. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.15% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On PepsiCo

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of PEP. 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. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in PepsiCo by 77.5% in the 1st quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 158 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 100.0% during the 4th quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC now owns 194 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the period. Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. purchased a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the 1st quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Life Planning Partners Inc acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About PepsiCo

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.