James Investment Research Inc. Lowers Holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

James Investment Research Inc. decreased its position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 62.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,711 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,459 shares during the period. James Investment Research Inc.’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $412,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Cross Staff Investments Inc lifted its holdings in PepsiCo by 0.9% during the third quarter. Cross Staff Investments Inc now owns 7,080 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,204,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the period. Paulson Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in PepsiCo by 2.1% during the third quarter. Paulson Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,986 shares of the company’s stock worth $508,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the period. LCM Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in PepsiCo by 0.8% during the third quarter. LCM Capital Management Inc now owns 7,573 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,288,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the period. Demars Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in PepsiCo by 1.1% during the third quarter. Demars Financial Group LLC now owns 5,721 shares of the company’s stock worth $973,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the period. Finally, Sigma Investment Counselors Inc. lifted its holdings in PepsiCo by 1.6% during the third quarter. Sigma Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 4,310 shares of the company’s stock worth $733,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

PepsiCo Price Performance

Shares of PEP opened at $143.39 on Monday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $149.80 and its two-hundred day moving average is $163.13. The company has a market capitalization of $196.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a current ratio of 0.82. PepsiCo, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $141.51 and a fifty-two week high of $183.41.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $27.78 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $27.89 billion. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 58.87% and a net margin of 10.43%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.78 EPS. Research analysts predict that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.34 earnings per share for the current year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a dividend of $1.355 per share. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is currently 77.99%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

PEP has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. HSBC lowered their target price on PepsiCo from $186.00 to $170.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on PepsiCo from $193.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. StockNews.com lowered PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on PepsiCo from $185.00 to $168.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, CICC Research reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Friday, February 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $171.47.

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.