Suncoast Equity Management Buys 375 Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Suncoast Equity Management raised its position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 3.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 12,147 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 375 shares during the quarter. Suncoast Equity Management’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $2,063,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of PEP. DHJJ Financial Advisors Ltd. purchased a new position in PepsiCo during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. 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 purchased a new position in PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Avion Wealth increased its holdings in PepsiCo by 61.7% during the 4th quarter. Avion Wealth now owns 241 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the period. Finally, Financial Connections Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the 4th quarter valued at $44,000. Institutional investors own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ PEP traded up $1.33 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $168.28. 1,514,651 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,705,810. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 1 year low of $155.83 and a 1 year high of $196.88. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $168.70 and a 200 day simple moving average of $167.38. The stock has a market cap of $231.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.61, a PEG ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.53.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 9th. The company reported $1.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.72 by $0.06. PepsiCo had a net margin of 9.92% and a return on equity of 58.03%. The company had revenue of $27.84 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $28.40 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.67 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 1st were issued a $1.265 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $5.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.01%. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 77.02%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on PEP. Citigroup upgraded PepsiCo from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $180.00 to $195.00 in a report on Monday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley raised PepsiCo from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $190.00 price objective for the company in a report on Monday, March 18th. Argus cut PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. StockNews.com cut PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped 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. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $186.92.

PepsiCo Company 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.