ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC Lowers Holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC decreased its holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 0.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 100,605 shares of the company’s stock after selling 722 shares during the quarter. PepsiCo makes up approximately 2.1% of ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 19th largest holding. ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $15,085,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Collier Financial acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC acquired a new position in PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. acquired a new position in PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. 73.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

PepsiCo Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ PEP opened at $130.03 on Friday. PepsiCo, Inc. has a twelve month low of $127.75 and a twelve month high of $180.91. 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 company has a market capitalization of $178.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.45. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $136.15 and a 200-day simple moving average of $146.16.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by ($0.01). PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.43% and a return on equity of 58.87%. The firm had revenue of $17.92 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.81 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.61 earnings per share. PepsiCo’s revenue was down 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 6th will be issued a $1.4225 dividend. This represents a $5.69 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.38%. This is an increase from PepsiCo’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.36. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 6th. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is 83.68%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PEP has been the topic of several recent research reports. Evercore ISI set a $140.00 price target on PepsiCo in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on PepsiCo from $168.00 to $153.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 25th. UBS Group reduced their price target on PepsiCo from $175.00 to $169.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Barclays reduced their price target on PepsiCo from $143.00 to $135.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Dbs Bank lowered PepsiCo from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $160.69.

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.