Searle & CO. Has $7.32 Million Stock Position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Searle & CO. decreased its position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 43,068 shares of the company’s stock after selling 487 shares during the quarter. PepsiCo comprises 1.8% of Searle & CO.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest holding. Searle & CO.’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $7,324,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Flossbach Von Storch AG increased its stake in PepsiCo by 67.2% in the first quarter. Flossbach Von Storch AG now owns 4,560,007 shares of the company’s stock valued at $798,047,000 after purchasing an additional 1,832,385 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB lifted its holdings in PepsiCo by 211.4% during the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 2,345,467 shares of the company’s stock worth $398,847,000 after acquiring an additional 1,592,343 shares in the last quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 125.2% in the second quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,740,573 shares of the company’s stock worth $452,003,000 after acquiring an additional 1,523,631 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 429.3% during the 1st quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,454,793 shares of the company’s stock valued at $254,603,000 after purchasing an additional 1,179,922 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc increased its stake in PepsiCo by 7.2% during the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 13,547,547 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,234,400,000 after purchasing an additional 905,468 shares in the last quarter. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

PepsiCo Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:PEP traded down $1.40 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $172.97. 869,756 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,466,450. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 1-year low of $158.03 and a 1-year high of $183.41. The business’s 50 day moving average is $173.90 and its 200-day moving average is $172.23. The company has a quick ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96. The company has a market capitalization of $237.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.26 and a beta of 0.53.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 8th. The company reported $2.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.30 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $23.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $23.86 billion. PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.18% and a return on equity of 57.32%. The company’s revenue was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.25 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.15 earnings per share for the current year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 6th were issued a dividend of $1.355 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 6th. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.13%. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is currently 79.94%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on PEP shares. TD Cowen cut PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $190.00 to $183.00 in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Hsbc Global Res raised shares of PepsiCo to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Morgan Stanley lowered shares of PepsiCo from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $185.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of PepsiCo to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on PepsiCo from $185.00 to $183.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, PepsiCo currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $183.92.

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.