Guardian Wealth Management Inc. Increases Holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Guardian Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 15,067 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 247 shares during the period. PepsiCo accounts for 1.9% of Guardian Wealth Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. Guardian Wealth Management Inc.’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $2,485,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PEP. Gilbert & Cook Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 23.4% in the fourth quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 5,971 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,014,000 after acquiring an additional 1,133 shares during the period. Aveo Capital Partners LLC raised its position in PepsiCo by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Aveo Capital Partners LLC now owns 5,480 shares of the company’s stock valued at $931,000 after purchasing an additional 229 shares during the last quarter. 9258 Wealth Management LLC grew its position in PepsiCo by 56.0% during the 4th quarter. 9258 Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,281 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,407,000 after purchasing an additional 2,974 shares during the last quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC increased its stake in PepsiCo by 81.3% in the fourth quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC now owns 8,105 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,357,000 after purchasing an additional 3,635 shares during the period. Finally, Private Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at about $43,000. 73.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

NASDAQ:PEP opened at $177.36 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $243.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.74, a P/E/G ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.53. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $172.37 and its two-hundred day moving average is $171.43. PepsiCo, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $155.83 and a fifty-two week high of $183.41. 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 (NASDAQ:PEP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 11th. The company reported $2.28 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.16 by $0.12. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 57.37% and a net margin of 10.34%. The company had revenue of $22.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.59 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.09 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.15 EPS for the current year.

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 6th will be given a dividend of $1.355 per share. 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 3.06%. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is currently 78.66%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PEP has been the topic of several analyst reports. Barclays lifted their target price on PepsiCo from $179.00 to $187.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 19th. TD Cowen reduced their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $200.00 to $190.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $180.00 to $177.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 12th. StockNews.com upgraded PepsiCo from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 28th. Finally, BNP Paribas began coverage on PepsiCo in a report on Monday, June 24th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $174.00 price target for the company. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $185.53.

PepsiCo Company 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.