Ally Financial Inc. Has $12.47 Million Holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Ally Financial Inc. lifted its stake in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 173.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 82,000 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 52,000 shares during the period. PepsiCo accounts for about 1.5% of Ally Financial Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest position. Ally Financial Inc.’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $12,469,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PEP. Collier Financial acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in PepsiCo during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC acquired a new stake in PepsiCo in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in PepsiCo in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

PepsiCo Trading Down 1.9 %

Shares of PEP stock opened at $140.09 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $192.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.16, a P/E/G ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.49. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 12-month low of $138.33 and a 12-month high of $183.41. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $148.25 and a 200 day moving average price of $155.32.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $27.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $27.89 billion. PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.43% and a return on equity of 58.87%. PepsiCo’s quarterly revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.78 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th were issued a $1.355 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 7th. This represents a $5.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.87%. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is 77.99%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on PEP shares. CICC Research reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $195.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating and set a $155.00 price target (down from $185.00) on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, TD Cowen reduced their price objective on PepsiCo from $183.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, PepsiCo currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $168.12.

PepsiCo 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.