Welch Group LLC Raises Stake in PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP

Welch Group LLC boosted its holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 4.0% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 339,979 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 13,215 shares during the quarter. PepsiCo accounts for approximately 2.0% of Welch Group LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest holding. Welch Group LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $52,795,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Captrust Financial Advisors raised its position in PepsiCo by 3.6% in the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 554,798 shares of the company’s stock valued at $77,916,000 after purchasing an additional 19,218 shares during the period. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd boosted its position in shares of PepsiCo by 11.4% in the fourth quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 415,271 shares of the company’s stock worth $59,600,000 after buying an additional 42,335 shares during the period. Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc. grew its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 622.3% in the fourth quarter. Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc. now owns 35,603 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,110,000 after buying an additional 30,674 shares in the last quarter. Allstate Corp grew its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 108.1% in the fourth quarter. Allstate Corp now owns 104,723 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,030,000 after buying an additional 54,405 shares in the last quarter. Finally, National Pension Service raised its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. National Pension Service now owns 3,143,939 shares of the company’s stock valued at $451,218,000 after buying an additional 77,051 shares during the period. 73.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on PEP. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on PepsiCo from $160.00 to $150.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, June 5th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $162.00 target price on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Thursday. Evercore upped their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $165.00 to $170.00 in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Bank of America lowered their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $173.00 to $164.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Finally, HSBC boosted their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $175.00 to $176.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, PepsiCo has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $166.85.

Trending Headlines about PepsiCo

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo’s brand and growth efforts are getting fresh visibility, including marketing around “modern soda,” dirty-soda products, and broader consumer engagement. These trends could support beverage demand and help the company defend share in a changing soft-drink market.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support remains constructive overall: Citigroup kept a Buy rating even after trimming its price target to $170, implying meaningful upside from current levels. That helps reassure investors that the stock still looks attractively valued despite recent weakness.
• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo continues to stand out as a diversified dividend stock, with coverage highlighting its 54-year streak of dividend growth. For income-oriented investors, that long track record can provide support ahead of earnings. Article Title

PepsiCo Price Performance

PEP stock opened at $141.39 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $148.40 and its two-hundred day moving average is $152.01. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 52-week low of $128.11 and a 52-week high of $171.48. The company has a market capitalization of $193.25 billion, a PE ratio of 22.20, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The company reported $1.61 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.55 by $0.06. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 56.61% and a net margin of 9.15%.The company had revenue of $19.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.89 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.48 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 5th will be paid a dividend of $1.48 per share. This is a positive change from PepsiCo’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.42. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 5th. This represents a $5.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.2%. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is currently 92.94%.

About PepsiCo

PepsiCo, Inc (NASDAQ: PEP) is a multinational food and beverage company headquartered in Purchase, New York. The company develops, manufactures, markets and sells a broad portfolio of branded food and beverage products, including carbonated and noncarbonated soft drinks, bottled water, sports drinks, juices, ready-to-drink teas and coffees, salty snacks, cereals, and other convenient foods. Its leading consumer brands include Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Gatorade, Tropicana, Quaker, Lay’s, Doritos and Cheetos, among others.

Formed through the 1965 merger of Pepsi-Cola and Frito-Lay, PepsiCo has grown into a global business with integrated manufacturing, distribution and marketing operations.