PDS Planning Inc Decreases Stock Position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

PDS Planning Inc trimmed its holdings in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 6.5% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 8,514 shares of the company’s stock after selling 591 shares during the quarter. PDS Planning Inc’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $1,295,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Collier Financial purchased a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Human Investing LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PepsiCo Price Performance

NASDAQ PEP opened at $151.34 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.82. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $148.86 and its 200-day moving average price is $159.75. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 52-week low of $141.51 and a 52-week high of $183.41. The company has a market cap of $207.56 billion, a PE ratio of 21.78, a P/E/G ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.52.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.43% and a return on equity of 58.87%. The firm had revenue of $27.78 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $27.89 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.78 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th will be given a dividend of $1.355 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $5.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.58%. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is 77.99%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on PEP. Barclays upped their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $153.00 to $168.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Citigroup cut their price target 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $183.00 to $165.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $193.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, PepsiCo has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $170.59.

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.