PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) Research Coverage Started at BNP Paribas

BNP Paribas assumed coverage on shares of PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) in a research report released on Monday, Marketbeat reports. The firm issued a neutral rating and a $174.00 price target on the stock.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Barclays dropped their price target on PepsiCo from $185.00 to $180.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, June 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on PepsiCo from $178.00 to $181.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th. Argus downgraded PepsiCo from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Wedbush reiterated an outperform rating and set a $195.00 target price on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on PepsiCo from $209.00 to $211.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, May 16th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $186.38.

PepsiCo Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ:PEP opened at $166.74 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $173.73 and a 200 day moving average of $170.37. The company has a market cap of $229.23 billion, a PE ratio of 25.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96. PepsiCo has a 12-month low of $155.83 and a 12-month high of $192.38.

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

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Ramkumar Krishnan sold 5,620 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 9th. The stock was 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 owns 53,953 shares in the company, valued at $9,603,634. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On PepsiCo

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA boosted its holdings in PepsiCo by 80.5% in the fourth quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA now owns 157 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in PepsiCo by 77.5% in the first quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 158 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in PepsiCo by 100.0% in the fourth quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC now owns 194 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Life Planning Partners Inc acquired a new stake in PepsiCo in the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in PepsiCo in the first quarter worth about $35,000. Institutional investors own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

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.