Signet Investment Advisory Group Inc. Increases Holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Signet Investment Advisory Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 8.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 16,766 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,331 shares during the quarter. PepsiCo accounts for about 1.5% of Signet Investment Advisory Group Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 29th biggest position. Signet Investment Advisory Group Inc.’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $2,765,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in PepsiCo by 77.5% in the 1st quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 158 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 100.0% during the fourth quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC now owns 194 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the first quarter valued at about $35,000. Naples Money Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Criterion Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the fourth quarter valued at about $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PEP has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $175.00 to $170.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $184.00 to $182.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 12th. StockNews.com raised shares of PepsiCo from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Monday, June 24th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $174.00 target price for the company. Finally, DZ Bank lowered shares of PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $183.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, PepsiCo has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $185.53.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

Shares of PEP traded up $0.10 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $172.62. The stock had a trading volume of 4,614,804 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,307,452. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $168.09 and a 200-day simple moving average of $170.52. PepsiCo, Inc. has a one year low of $155.83 and a one year high of $183.41. The firm has a market cap of $237.11 billion, a PE ratio of 25.05, a P/E/G ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 11th. The company reported $2.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.16 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $22.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.59 billion. PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.34% and a return on equity of 57.37%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.09 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.15 EPS for the current year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 6th will be paid a $1.355 dividend. This represents a $5.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.14%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 6th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is currently 78.66%.

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.