M. Kraus & Co Grows Stock Holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

M. Kraus & Co boosted its position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 1.2% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 56,073 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 683 shares during the period. PepsiCo makes up about 2.6% of M. Kraus & Co’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest position. M. Kraus & Co’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $8,408,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of PEP. Tallon Kerry Patrick purchased a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter valued at $224,000. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 12.4% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 59,392 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,031,000 after buying an additional 6,574 shares during the period. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA purchased a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter valued at $9,268,000. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 26.8% during the 4th quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 13,547 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,060,000 after acquiring an additional 2,865 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG lifted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 470,387 shares of the company’s stock valued at $71,527,000 after acquiring an additional 11,538 shares in the last quarter. 73.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PepsiCo Price Performance

PEP opened at $130.85 on Monday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $134.63 and a 200-day moving average of $144.96. The company has a market capitalization of $179.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.83, a PEG ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.45. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 1-year low of $127.75 and a 1-year high of $180.91. 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 released its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.49 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $17.92 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.81 billion. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 58.87% and a net margin of 10.43%. PepsiCo’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.61 EPS. Equities analysts expect that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 6th will be given a $1.4225 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 6th. This represents a $5.69 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.35%. This is an increase from PepsiCo’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.36. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is presently 83.68%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on PEP shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $158.00 to $159.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $143.00 to $135.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 28th. Dbs Bank lowered shares of PepsiCo from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Evercore ISI set a $140.00 target price on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $155.00 to $150.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. One 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.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $160.69.

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.