PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) Cut to Hold at DZ Bank

DZ Bank lowered shares of PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Friday, MarketBeat reports. They currently have $183.00 price target on the stock.

PEP has been the subject of a number of other reports. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on PepsiCo from $180.00 to $177.00 and set a sector perform rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $184.00 to $182.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 12th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $175.00 to $170.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $200.00 to $190.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 3rd. Finally, Argus lowered PepsiCo from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, PepsiCo currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $185.53.

PepsiCo Stock Down 0.6 %

NASDAQ PEP opened at $169.36 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87. PepsiCo has a 12 month low of $155.83 and a 12 month high of $192.38. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $169.91 and its 200 day moving average is $169.87. The stock has a market cap of $232.63 billion, a PE ratio of 24.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.52.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 11th. The company reported $2.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.16 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $22.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.59 billion. PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.34% and a return on equity of 57.37%. PepsiCo’s revenue for the quarter was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.09 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that PepsiCo will post 8.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 7th were given a dividend of $1.355 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 7th. This is an increase from PepsiCo’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.27. This represents a $5.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.20%. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is presently 78.66%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Ramkumar Krishnan sold 5,620 shares of PepsiCo stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.00, for a total value of $1,000,360.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 53,953 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,603,634. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.15% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On PepsiCo

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA grew its position in 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 purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 77.5% during the 1st quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 158 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the period. Fortis Group Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 100.0% in the 4th quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC now owns 194 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Life Planning Partners Inc purchased a new stake in PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in PepsiCo during the first quarter valued at $35,000. Hedge funds and other 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.