PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) Sets New 52-Week Low – Time to Sell?

PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)’s stock price reached a new 52-week low during trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $130.06 and last traded at $131.19, with a volume of 1320221 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $130.44.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on PEP shares. Citigroup reduced their price objective on PepsiCo from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $143.00 to $135.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $158.00 to $159.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Bank of America decreased their target price on PepsiCo from $155.00 to $150.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $160.69.

PepsiCo Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $178.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.75, a P/E/G ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.65. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $142.80 and a two-hundred day moving average of $150.32.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.49 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $17.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.81 billion. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 58.87% and a net margin of 10.43%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.61 EPS. On average, analysts predict that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 6th will be given a dividend of $1.4225 per share. This is a positive change from PepsiCo’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.36. This represents a $5.69 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.37%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 6th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is presently 83.68%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Collier Financial acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC bought a new position in PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Elite Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in PepsiCo during the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. 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.