PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) Shares Purchased by Willis Investment Counsel

Willis Investment Counsel grew its holdings in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 0.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 196,282 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,516 shares during the quarter. PepsiCo makes up about 2.0% of Willis Investment Counsel’s portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest holding. Willis Investment Counsel’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $29,847,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of PEP. AMF Tjanstepension AB increased its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 15.8% during the 3rd quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 293,824 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,016,000 after buying an additional 40,031 shares during the last quarter. Czech National Bank grew its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 6.8% during the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 279,811 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,582,000 after purchasing an additional 17,833 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of PepsiCo by 22.9% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 25,124 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,272,000 after purchasing an additional 4,676 shares during the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co raised its holdings in PepsiCo by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 77,895 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,246,000 after buying an additional 2,950 shares during the period. Finally, Smith Anglin Financial LLC boosted its stake in PepsiCo by 0.9% during the third quarter. Smith Anglin Financial LLC now owns 8,222 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,398,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the period. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on PEP shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $183.00 to $165.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 24th. UBS Group cut their target price on PepsiCo from $193.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. StockNews.com raised PepsiCo from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Barclays decreased their target price on PepsiCo from $183.00 to $158.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on PepsiCo from $184.00 to $178.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $176.73.

PepsiCo Price Performance

PepsiCo stock opened at $150.69 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $206.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $153.12 and a 200-day simple moving average of $164.88. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 12-month low of $141.51 and a 12-month high of $183.41.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 6th were given a dividend of $1.355 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 6th. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.60%. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is currently 79.94%.

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.