Gradient Investments LLC Increases Stake in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Gradient Investments LLC increased its stake in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 2,263.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 90,280 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 86,460 shares during the quarter. Gradient Investments LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $13,728,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of PepsiCo by 5.1% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 57,268,030 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,738,429,000 after purchasing an additional 2,775,679 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in PepsiCo by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 30,497,268 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,170,529,000 after buying an additional 543,558 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in PepsiCo by 5.6% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 21,360,850 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,632,413,000 after acquiring an additional 1,125,059 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc raised its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 7.2% during the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 13,547,547 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,234,400,000 after acquiring an additional 905,468 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 21.1% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 13,021,316 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,293,049,000 after purchasing an additional 2,264,445 shares in the last quarter. 73.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PepsiCo Price Performance

Shares of PEP stock opened at $149.12 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $204.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.99, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.54. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $154.07 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $165.40. PepsiCo, Inc. has a one year low of $141.51 and a one year high of $183.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.70.

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 6th were issued a dividend of $1.355 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 6th. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.63%. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is currently 79.94%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PEP has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Redburn Atlantic raised shares of PepsiCo to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on PepsiCo from $193.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on PepsiCo from $183.00 to $165.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Barclays cut their target price on PepsiCo from $183.00 to $158.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Hsbc Global Res raised shares of PepsiCo to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $177.00.

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.