PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) Shares Acquired by DnB Asset Management AS

DnB Asset Management AS increased its stake in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 5.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 628,430 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 35,218 shares during the quarter. DnB Asset Management AS’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $95,559,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Collier Financial purchased a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Human Investing LLC acquired a new stake in PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

PepsiCo Trading Up 0.7 %

PEP opened at $149.67 on Friday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $149.23 and its 200-day simple moving average is $158.37. The company has a market cap of $205.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.54, a PEG ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.52. PepsiCo, Inc. has a one year low of $141.51 and a one year high of $183.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.82.

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

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th will be given a $1.355 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $5.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.62%. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 77.99%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on PEP shares. StockNews.com cut PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. BNP Paribas dropped their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $162.00 to $160.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on PepsiCo from $184.00 to $178.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Piper Sandler initiated coverage on PepsiCo in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $171.00 price objective on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $169.88.

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.