Tacita Capital Inc Trims Stock Holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Tacita Capital Inc decreased its stake in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 5.2% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 2,350 shares of the company’s stock after selling 128 shares during the period. Tacita Capital Inc’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $357,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of PEP. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 5.9% in the fourth quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC now owns 9,461 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,439,000 after acquiring an additional 523 shares during the period. Kelly Financial Group LLC bought a new position in PepsiCo during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $380,000. Auxano Advisors LLC boosted its stake in PepsiCo by 9.0% during the fourth quarter. Auxano Advisors LLC now owns 6,266 shares of the company’s stock valued at $953,000 after buying an additional 516 shares during the last quarter. Grandfield & Dodd LLC boosted its stake in PepsiCo by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Grandfield & Dodd LLC now owns 16,794 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,554,000 after buying an additional 217 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fidelis Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in PepsiCo by 9.6% during the fourth quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC now owns 13,052 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,961,000 after buying an additional 1,147 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

PepsiCo Trading Up 1.6 %

PEP opened at $155.99 on Tuesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $148.68 and its two-hundred day moving average is $161.33. The company has a market capitalization of $213.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.44, a PEG ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.54. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 52 week low of $141.51 and a 52 week high of $183.41. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $27.78 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $27.89 billion. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 58.87% and a net margin of 10.43%. PepsiCo’s quarterly revenue was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.78 EPS. Analysts forecast that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be given a dividend of $1.355 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.47%. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 77.99%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PEP has been the subject of a number of research reports. Barclays dropped their price target on PepsiCo from $158.00 to $153.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on PepsiCo from $185.00 to $168.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on PepsiCo from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. HSBC decreased their price objective on PepsiCo from $186.00 to $170.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, CICC Research restated a “market perform” rating on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Friday, February 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $171.47.

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.