PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) Stock Price Up 0.4%

Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) shot up 0.4% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $173.00 and last traded at $172.50. 838,257 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 85% from the average session volume of 5,525,572 shares. The stock had previously closed at $171.79.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PEP has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $180.00 to $177.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 12th. Bank of America dropped their price target on PepsiCo from $210.00 to $190.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 8th. Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $195.00 price objective on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $175.00 to $170.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Finally, BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Monday, June 24th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $174.00 price target for the company. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $185.53.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87. The company has a market capitalization of $237.00 billion, a PE ratio of 25.02, a PEG ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.52. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $168.09 and a 200 day simple moving average of $170.33.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 11th. The company reported $2.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.16 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $22.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.59 billion. PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.34% and a return on equity of 57.37%. PepsiCo’s revenue was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.09 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 6th will be paid a $1.355 dividend. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.14%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 6th. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is 78.66%.

Institutional Trading of PepsiCo

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in PepsiCo by 77.5% in the first quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 158 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the period. POM Investment Strategies LLC grew its position in PepsiCo by 141.3% during the second quarter. POM Investment Strategies LLC now owns 181 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 106 shares during the period. Summit Securities Group LLC purchased a new position in PepsiCo in the second quarter valued at $30,000. Fortis Group Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 100.0% during the 4th quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC now owns 194 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the 1st quarter valued at about $35,000. 73.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.