Forum Financial Management LP Reduces Stock Holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP

Forum Financial Management LP lessened its stake in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 54.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 4,951 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,939 shares during the period. Forum Financial Management LP’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $769,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Drucker Wealth 3.0 LLC grew its position in PepsiCo by 5.6% in the 1st quarter. Drucker Wealth 3.0 LLC now owns 12,062 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,873,000 after acquiring an additional 638 shares during the last quarter. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ grew its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 16.6% in the first quarter. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ now owns 514,552 shares of the company’s stock worth $79,904,000 after purchasing an additional 73,311 shares during the last quarter. Investment Planning Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the first quarter worth about $219,000. Next Level Private LLC purchased a new position in PepsiCo in the 1st quarter worth about $262,000. Finally, 3Chopt Investment Partners LLC lifted its holdings in PepsiCo by 3.9% during the 1st quarter. 3Chopt Investment Partners LLC now owns 15,435 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,397,000 after buying an additional 574 shares in the last quarter. 73.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting PepsiCo

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Investor sentiment was lifted by bullish commentary from 24/7 Wall St., which argued PepsiCo could have more than 20% upside based on a price target above current levels and called the stock a buy. Pepsi Price Prediction: The Case for 20%+ Upside
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual options activity pointed to rising trader interest, with investors buying a large volume of PepsiCo call options, often interpreted as a bullish signal. Investors Buy Large Volume of PepsiCo Call Options (NASDAQ:PEP)
• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo expanded its manufacturing footprint in India by commissioning a second flavor plant in Ujjain, a long-term growth investment that could support supply and regional demand. PepsiCo India opens ?1,266 cr flavour manufacturing facility in Ujjain
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts are heading into PepsiCo’s July 9 earnings release expecting higher Q2 earnings and revenue, but this is still a forecast rather than a reported result. PepsiCo Likely To Report Higher Q2 Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: PepsiCo is also facing a trademark dispute involving “Rise” and “Mtn Dew Rise” at the U.S. Supreme Court, which adds legal uncertainty but is not yet a confirmed financial hit. US Supreme Court takes up Pepsi ‘Mtn Dew Rise’ trademark dispute
• Negative Sentiment: Competition in the soda market remains intense, with Coca-Cola highlighted as having a Freestyle-machine advantage and launching an exclusive new soda flavor at Wingstop, underscoring pressure on PepsiCo’s beverage business. Coca-Cola launches exclusive soda flavor at fast-food giant

PepsiCo Price Performance

Shares of PEP opened at $135.40 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.90. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $147.56 and a 200-day moving average price of $151.91. PepsiCo, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $132.47 and a fifty-two week high of $171.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $185.06 billion, a PE ratio of 21.26, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.35.

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

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 5th were given a $1.48 dividend. This represents a $5.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 5th. This is a positive change from PepsiCo’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.42. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is presently 92.94%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Piper Sandler dropped their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $181.00 to $178.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, June 12th. BNP Paribas Exane boosted their price target on PepsiCo from $191.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. Barclays increased their price objective on PepsiCo from $154.00 to $158.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on PepsiCo in a report on Thursday, June 11th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $143.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Bank of America decreased their target price on PepsiCo from $173.00 to $164.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $166.85.

PepsiCo Company Profile

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.