PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) Trading Down 0.4%

PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) dropped 0.4% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $173.66 and last traded at $175.27. Approximately 1,066,546 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 81% from the average daily volume of 5,748,646 shares. The stock had previously closed at $175.91.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on PepsiCo from $199.00 to $209.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 5th. StockNews.com cut shares of PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 12th. Argus downgraded shares of PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Morgan Stanley upgraded PepsiCo from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $190.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Monday, March 18th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on PepsiCo from $178.00 to $181.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $187.42.

PepsiCo Trading Up 0.4 %

The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $170.01 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $168.26. The company has a market capitalization of $242.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.61 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.52 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $18.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.08 billion. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 57.37% and a net margin of 10.00%. The firm’s revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.50 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 7th will be issued a dividend of $1.355 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 7th. This is a positive change from PepsiCo’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.27. This represents a $5.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.08%. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is 76.09%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On PepsiCo

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA grew its stake in shares of 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. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in PepsiCo by 77.5% during the first quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 158 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of PepsiCo by 100.0% in the fourth quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC now owns 194 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in PepsiCo in the 1st quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Life Planning Partners Inc acquired a new position in PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

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.