LPL Financial LLC Grows Position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

LPL Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 8.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,996,931 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 152,594 shares during the quarter. LPL Financial LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $303,653,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of PEP. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at about $589,307,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 18.1% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 25,217,043 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,834,504,000 after purchasing an additional 3,856,193 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its stake in PepsiCo by 5.1% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 57,268,030 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,738,429,000 after buying an additional 2,775,679 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in PepsiCo by 21.1% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 13,021,316 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,293,049,000 after buying an additional 2,264,445 shares during the period. Finally, Swedbank AB boosted its stake 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 buying an additional 1,592,343 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

Shares of PEP opened at $145.45 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05. The firm has a market cap of $199.48 billion, a PE ratio of 20.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.52. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $149.04 and its 200-day simple moving average is $158.96. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 12-month low of $141.51 and a 12-month high of $183.41.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $27.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $27.89 billion. PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.43% and a return on equity of 58.87%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.78 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

PEP has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Barclays lowered shares of PepsiCo from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $168.00 to $156.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. BNP Paribas lowered 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. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $180.00 to $160.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Royal Bank of Canada initiated coverage on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. They set a $172.00 price target on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $183.00 to $165.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $169.88.

PepsiCo Company 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.