CFM Wealth Partners LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

CFM Wealth Partners LLC trimmed its holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 71.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,609 shares of the company’s stock after selling 11,407 shares during the quarter. CFM Wealth Partners LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $807,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA increased its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 80.5% during the 4th quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA now owns 157 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 100.0% during the 4th quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC now owns 194 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Life Planning Partners Inc acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Naples Money Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Criterion Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in PepsiCo in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $39,000. 73.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other PepsiCo news, CEO Ramkumar Krishnan sold 5,620 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.00, for a total transaction of $1,000,360.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 53,953 shares in the company, valued at $9,603,634. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on PEP shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $181.00 to $184.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $209.00 to $211.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 16th. Argus downgraded shares of PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $185.00 to $180.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, June 12th. Finally, BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Monday. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $174.00 price target for the company. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued 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 price target of $186.38.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:PEP traded down $0.61 on Wednesday, reaching $166.74. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 4,776,918 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,501,427. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $173.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $170.37. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 52-week low of $155.83 and a 52-week high of $192.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $229.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.07, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.52.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.52 by $0.09. PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.00% and a return on equity of 57.37%. The business had revenue of $18.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.08 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.50 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.16 EPS for the current year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 7th will be given a dividend of $1.355 per share. This is a positive change from PepsiCo’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.27. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.25%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 7th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is presently 81.50%.

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.