PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) Trading Up 0.8%

PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)’s share price rose 0.8% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $168.34 and last traded at $168.29. Approximately 963,106 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 83% from the average daily volume of 5,697,360 shares. The stock had previously closed at $166.95.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PEP has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $199.00 to $209.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $195.00 price target on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Argus downgraded shares of PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $183.00 to $184.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 12th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded shares of PepsiCo from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $180.00 to $195.00 in a research report on Monday, February 12th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, PepsiCo has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $186.92.

PepsiCo Price Performance

The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $168.58 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $167.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $232.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.80, a PEG ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.53.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last announced its earnings results on Friday, February 9th. The company reported $1.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.40 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.67 earnings per share. PepsiCo’s revenue was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.15 EPS for the current year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

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. This represents a $5.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 77.02%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On PepsiCo

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA grew its holdings in shares of 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 during the last quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 100.0% in the 4th quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC now owns 194 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Life Planning Partners Inc bought a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. bought a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the 1st quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Naples Money Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Institutional investors own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

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.