PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) Stock Price Up 0.1% – Time to Buy?

PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)’s share price shot up 0.1% on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $155.34 and last traded at $154.36. Approximately 1,278,635 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 82% from the average session volume of 7,112,405 shares. The stock had previously closed at $154.19.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on PEP shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on PepsiCo from $183.00 to $165.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on PepsiCo from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on PepsiCo from $184.00 to $178.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $153.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $185.00 to $168.00 and set an “equal weight” 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 issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $172.35.

PepsiCo Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $211.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.22, a P/E/G ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.52. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $148.77 and a 200 day simple moving average of $161.10. 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 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $27.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.78 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be given a dividend of $1.355 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.51%. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 77.99%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PEP. Collier Financial acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in PepsiCo in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC bought a new stake in PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the third quarter valued at $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.