Blue Fin Capital Inc. Sells 382 Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Blue Fin Capital Inc. lowered its position in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 4.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,781 shares of the company’s stock after selling 382 shares during the period. Blue Fin Capital Inc.’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $1,491,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA grew its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 80.5% during the fourth 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 PepsiCo in the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Naples Money Management LLC bought a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the 4th quarter worth $36,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Avion Wealth grew its position in PepsiCo by 61.7% in the fourth quarter. Avion Wealth now owns 241 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

PepsiCo Trading Up 0.4 %

NASDAQ:PEP traded up $0.70 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $176.15. 3,492,120 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,328,097. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 12-month low of $155.83 and a 12-month high of $196.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.68. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $170.14 and a 200-day moving average price of $168.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $242.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.49, a PEG ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.52.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.61 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.52 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $18.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.50 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.16 earnings per share for the current year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Friday, June 7th will be paid a $1.355 dividend. This is an increase from PepsiCo’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.27. This represents a $5.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.08%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 7th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is presently 76.09%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PEP has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on PepsiCo from $199.00 to $209.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $195.00 target price on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $178.00 to $181.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of PepsiCo from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $190.00 target price on the stock in a report on Monday, March 18th. Finally, 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. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, PepsiCo currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.