PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) Stock Holdings Trimmed by Wilbanks Smith & Thomas Asset Management LLC

Wilbanks Smith & Thomas Asset Management LLC decreased its holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 3.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 119,656 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,288 shares during the quarter. PepsiCo accounts for approximately 0.6% of Wilbanks Smith & Thomas Asset Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 29th largest position. Wilbanks Smith & Thomas Asset Management LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $20,322,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of PEP. Cerity Partners LLC raised its position in shares of PepsiCo by 59.4% during the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 993,567 shares of the company’s stock worth $168,747,000 after purchasing an additional 370,122 shares during the period. Harbour Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of PepsiCo by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Harbour Capital Advisors LLC now owns 27,446 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,747,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Meadow Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $405,000. Manchester Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in PepsiCo by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 13,240 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,243,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares during the period. Finally, Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC grew its position in PepsiCo by 34.5% during the 4th quarter. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC now owns 12,317 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,091,000 after purchasing an additional 3,159 shares in the last quarter. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

PepsiCo Price Performance

PEP traded up $0.32 during trading on Thursday, hitting $175.47. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 730,249 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,728,248. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $169.87 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $168.21. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $241.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.52. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 12 month low of $155.83 and a 12 month high of $196.88.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.61 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.52 by $0.09. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 57.37% and a net margin of 10.00%. The company had revenue of $18.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.08 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.50 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Friday, June 7th will be issued a dividend of $1.355 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 7th. This represents a $5.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.09%. This is a boost from PepsiCo’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.27. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is currently 76.09%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently commented on PEP shares. StockNews.com cut PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on PepsiCo from $178.00 to $181.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $180.00 target price on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Monday, February 12th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $184.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, 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 research report on Monday, March 18th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, PepsiCo currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $187.42.

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.