PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) Shares Down 1.1% – Time to Sell?

PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) shares dropped 1.1% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $173.97 and last traded at $173.99. Approximately 761,767 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 86% from the average daily volume of 5,482,329 shares. The stock had previously closed at $175.90.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on PEP shares. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on PepsiCo in a research report on Monday, June 24th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $174.00 target price for the company. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $177.00 to $176.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 4th. Hsbc Global Res raised PepsiCo to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on PepsiCo from $185.00 to $183.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $180.00 to $179.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $183.92.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.89. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $173.63 and its 200 day moving average price is $172.08. The company has a market capitalization of $239.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 0.53.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 8th. The company reported $2.31 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.30 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $23.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.86 billion. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 57.32% and a net margin of 10.18%. PepsiCo’s revenue for the quarter was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.25 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.15 EPS for the current year.

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 6th were given a $1.355 dividend. This represents a $5.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 6th. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is 78.66%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Meixler Investment Management Ltd. lifted its position in shares of PepsiCo by 4.4% during the second quarter. Meixler Investment Management Ltd. now owns 1,383 shares of the company’s stock worth $228,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Opes Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of PepsiCo by 2.2% during the 2nd quarter. Opes Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,748 shares of the company’s stock valued at $453,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates lifted its holdings in PepsiCo by 59.0% in the 3rd quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 159 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Stockton boosted its holdings in PepsiCo by 2.3% during the second quarter. Bank of Stockton now owns 2,716 shares of the company’s stock worth $448,000 after buying an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Oxbow Advisors LLC lifted its stake in PepsiCo by 0.7% during the second quarter. Oxbow Advisors LLC now owns 8,982 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,481,000 after buying an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

PepsiCo Company 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.