PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) Price Target Raised to $181.00 at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) had its price target increased by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $178.00 to $181.00 in a report released on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a neutral rating on the stock.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on PEP. StockNews.com downgraded shares of PepsiCo from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Monday, February 12th. Wedbush reiterated an outperform rating and set a $195.00 price target on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Tuesday. Citigroup upgraded PepsiCo from a neutral rating to a buy rating and upped their price target for the stock from $180.00 to $195.00 in a report on Monday, February 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on PepsiCo from $181.00 to $184.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on PepsiCo from $199.00 to $209.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $187.33.

PepsiCo Stock Up 3.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ:PEP opened at $177.41 on Wednesday. PepsiCo has a fifty-two week low of $155.83 and a fifty-two week high of $196.88. The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $169.04 and its 200-day simple moving average is $167.70. The company has a market cap of $243.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.68, a PEG ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.53.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.61 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.52 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $18.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.08 billion. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 57.37% and a net margin of 10.00%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.50 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that PepsiCo will post 8.15 earnings per share for the current year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 1st were paid a dividend of $1.265 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $5.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.85%. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is presently 76.09%.

Institutional Trading of PepsiCo

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA lifted its position 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 acquiring an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC increased its position 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. Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in PepsiCo during the first quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Life Planning Partners Inc acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Naples Money Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.