Atala Financial Inc Makes New Investment in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Atala Financial Inc bought a new position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 1,897 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $288,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Collier Financial bought a new stake in PepsiCo in the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the third quarter worth about $31,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in PepsiCo during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Human Investing LLC purchased a new stake in PepsiCo in the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. 73.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PepsiCo Stock Up 0.1 %

NASDAQ:PEP opened at $148.34 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.82. The firm has a market cap of $203.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.34, a P/E/G ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.52. PepsiCo, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $141.51 and a fifty-two week high of $183.41. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $148.78 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $160.29.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $27.78 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $27.89 billion. PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.43% and a return on equity of 58.87%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.78 earnings per share. Analysts predict that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th will be given a dividend of $1.355 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.65%. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 77.99%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on PEP shares. Citigroup decreased their target price on PepsiCo from $195.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $153.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th. CICC Research reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $183.00 to $165.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $170.59.

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.