Cutler Investment Counsel LLC Reduces Stock Position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Cutler Investment Counsel LLC decreased its holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 1.2% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 68,370 shares of the company’s stock after selling 828 shares during the quarter. PepsiCo makes up 1.7% of Cutler Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. Cutler Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $11,698,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PEP. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA lifted 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 acquiring an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Life Planning Partners Inc bought a new stake in PepsiCo in the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Avion Wealth boosted its position in shares of PepsiCo by 61.7% during the fourth quarter. Avion Wealth now owns 241 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 92 shares during the period. Financial Connections Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Finally, Pacific Center for Financial Services bought a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the 1st quarter worth approximately $47,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:PEP traded up $0.81 during trading on Friday, hitting $173.08. The stock had a trading volume of 2,935,555 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,686,042. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 12-month low of $155.83 and a 12-month high of $196.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $237.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.53. 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 50-day simple moving average of $168.55 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $167.42.

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

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 2.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is currently 77.02%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PEP has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $195.00 price objective on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Citigroup raised shares of PepsiCo from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $180.00 to $195.00 in a research note on Monday, February 12th. StockNews.com cut shares of PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $181.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Finally, Argus lowered PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. 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, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $186.92.

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.