PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) Position Lifted by Sowell Financial Services LLC

Sowell Financial Services LLC raised its stake in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 8.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 32,018 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,629 shares during the quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $4,869,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. AlphaQuest LLC boosted its stake in PepsiCo by 126.6% during the 4th quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 2,579 shares of the company’s stock valued at $392,000 after acquiring an additional 1,441 shares during the last quarter. LGT Capital Partners LTD. boosted its stake in PepsiCo by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. LGT Capital Partners LTD. now owns 77,398 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,769,000 after acquiring an additional 2,977 shares during the last quarter. Argentarii LLC bought a new position in PepsiCo during the 4th quarter valued at $1,210,000. Jackson Hole Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in PepsiCo by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Jackson Hole Capital Partners LLC now owns 36,725 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,584,000 after acquiring an additional 344 shares during the last quarter. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in PepsiCo during the 4th quarter valued at $435,000. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

Shares of PEP opened at $154.44 on Friday. PepsiCo, Inc. has a one year low of $141.51 and a one year high of $183.41. The company has a 50-day moving average of $148.80 and a two-hundred day moving average of $160.86. The stock has a market cap of $211.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.22, a PEG ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.65.

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

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th will be issued a dividend of $1.355 per share. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is currently 77.99%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. BNP Paribas reduced their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $162.00 to $160.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $193.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. HSBC dropped their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $186.00 to $170.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $195.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $172.35.

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.