Leisure Capital Management Reduces Position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Leisure Capital Management decreased its holdings in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 8.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 12,246 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,161 shares during the quarter. PepsiCo accounts for about 1.1% of Leisure Capital Management’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. Leisure Capital Management’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $2,080,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of PEP. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA increased its holdings in PepsiCo by 80.5% during the 4th quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA now owns 157 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Life Planning Partners Inc bought a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. Naples Money Management LLC purchased a new stake in PepsiCo in the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in PepsiCo during the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, Avion Wealth raised its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 61.7% in the 4th quarter. Avion Wealth now owns 241 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of PepsiCo from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $190.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, March 18th. Argus lowered shares of PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on PepsiCo from $199.00 to $209.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 5th. Citigroup upgraded PepsiCo from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $180.00 to $195.00 in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on PepsiCo from $184.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $187.42.

PepsiCo Price Performance

Shares of PEP stock traded down $1.10 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $175.58. The company had a trading volume of 4,472,102 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,365,961. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 12-month low of $155.83 and a 12-month high of $196.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a current ratio of 0.86. The company has a market capitalization of $241.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.40, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.53. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $169.40 and a 200-day moving average of $167.86.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.08 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.50 earnings per share. PepsiCo’s revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.16 earnings per share for the current year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 1st were given a $1.265 dividend. This represents a $5.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.88%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is 76.09%.

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.