PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) Trading Up 0.6% – Here’s Why

Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) rose 0.6% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $145.48 and last traded at $144.96. Approximately 1,092,136 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 84% from the average daily volume of 6,743,081 shares. The stock had previously closed at $144.10.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PEP has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. TD Cowen dropped their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $183.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. BNP Paribas cut their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $162.00 to $160.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $193.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Citigroup reduced their target price on PepsiCo from $195.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on PepsiCo from $184.00 to $178.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $171.47.

PepsiCo Trading Up 0.7 %

The company has a 50 day moving average of $149.16 and a 200-day moving average of $162.60. The stock has a market cap of $199.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.82.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $27.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $27.89 billion. PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.43% and a return on equity of 58.87%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.78 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.34 earnings per share for the current year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a $1.355 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.73%. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 77.99%.

Institutional Trading of PepsiCo

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of PEP. Cross Staff Investments Inc raised its position in PepsiCo by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Cross Staff Investments Inc now owns 7,080 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,204,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Paulson Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 2.1% during the third quarter. Paulson Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,986 shares of the company’s stock worth $508,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the period. LCM Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in PepsiCo by 0.8% in the third quarter. LCM Capital Management Inc now owns 7,573 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,288,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Demars Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of PepsiCo by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Demars Financial Group LLC now owns 5,721 shares of the company’s stock worth $973,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sigma Investment Counselors Inc. boosted its position in shares of PepsiCo by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Sigma Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 4,310 shares of the company’s stock worth $733,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. 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.