Howard Financial Services LTD. Boosts Stake in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Howard Financial Services LTD. grew its holdings in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 7.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 17,247 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,177 shares during the quarter. Howard Financial Services LTD.’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $2,623,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of PEP. Verity & Verity LLC increased its stake in PepsiCo by 4.9% in the fourth quarter. Verity & Verity LLC now owns 64,412 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,794,000 after acquiring an additional 3,028 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC boosted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 212.0% in the 4th quarter. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC now owns 12,101 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,840,000 after purchasing an additional 8,222 shares in the last quarter. Spring Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of PepsiCo by 7.2% during the 4th quarter. Spring Capital Management LLC now owns 26,660 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,054,000 after purchasing an additional 1,795 shares during the last quarter. Canoe Financial LP raised its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 19.8% during the 4th quarter. Canoe Financial LP now owns 114,240 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,371,000 after buying an additional 18,873 shares in the last quarter. Finally, B & T Capital Management DBA Alpha Capital Management lifted its position in PepsiCo by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. B & T Capital Management DBA Alpha Capital Management now owns 24,808 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,772,000 after buying an additional 1,217 shares during the last quarter. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on PEP shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $170.00 to $155.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $183.00 to $158.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Bank of America reduced their price objective on PepsiCo from $190.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, September 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised PepsiCo from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $179.00 to $184.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic raised PepsiCo to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, PepsiCo currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $178.60.

PepsiCo Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ PEP opened at $148.25 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.70. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 1 year low of $141.51 and a 1 year high of $183.41. The company’s 50-day moving average is $155.37 and its 200 day moving average is $165.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $203.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.87, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.54.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 6th. Investors of record on Friday, December 6th were given a dividend of $1.355 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 6th. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.66%. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is presently 79.94%.

PepsiCo 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.