West Paces Advisors Inc. Has $1.43 Million Stock Holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

West Paces Advisors Inc. lessened its stake in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 3.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 8,410 shares of the company’s stock after selling 341 shares during the quarter. West Paces Advisors Inc.’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $1,428,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. DHJJ Financial Advisors Ltd. purchased a new stake in PepsiCo during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA lifted its stake in PepsiCo by 80.5% in 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 in the last quarter. Life Planning Partners Inc purchased a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Avion Wealth increased its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 61.7% in the fourth 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. bought a new stake in PepsiCo during the fourth quarter valued at $44,000. 73.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

NASDAQ:PEP traded up $0.55 on Tuesday, hitting $167.50. The stock had a trading volume of 4,497,109 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,746,102. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $168.70 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $167.38. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 52-week low of $155.83 and a 52-week high of $196.88. The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02. The stock has a market cap of $230.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.53.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last announced its earnings results on Friday, February 9th. The company reported $1.78 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 business had revenue of $27.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $28.40 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.67 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.15 earnings per share for the current year.

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 1st were given a $1.265 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $5.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.02%. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is currently 77.02%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PEP has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $195.00 price target on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $180.00 price target on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Argus lowered shares of PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Barclays upped their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $183.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded 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. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.