Argent Advisors Inc. Acquires 652 Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Argent Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 21.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,761 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 652 shares during the period. Argent Advisors Inc.’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $620,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 77.5% in the first quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 158 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. POM Investment Strategies LLC raised its stake in PepsiCo by 141.3% during the 2nd quarter. POM Investment Strategies LLC now owns 181 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. Fortis Group Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 100.0% in the 4th quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC now owns 194 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the 1st quarter valued at $35,000. 73.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PEP has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of PepsiCo from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. DZ Bank cut shares of PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $183.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $210.00 to $200.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $184.00 to $182.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 12th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $180.00 to $177.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 12th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $185.53.

PepsiCo Price Performance

NASDAQ:PEP traded up $0.79 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $172.88. 8,677,295 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,453,207. The stock has a market cap of $237.67 billion, a PE ratio of 25.09, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 12 month low of $155.83 and a 12 month high of $183.41. The company has a fifty day moving average of $169.92 and a 200 day moving average of $170.80.

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

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

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

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.