PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) Stock Price Down 0.1% – Should You Sell?

PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) shares were down 0.1% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $141.60 and last traded at $143.26. Approximately 2,083,472 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 69% from the average daily volume of 6,711,949 shares. The stock had previously closed at $143.39.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on PEP shares. TD Cowen reduced their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $183.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Piper Sandler started coverage on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $171.00 price target for the company. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $180.00 to $160.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. HSBC cut their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $186.00 to $170.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $185.00 to $168.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $171.47.

PepsiCo Price Performance

The stock has a 50 day moving average of $149.48 and a two-hundred day moving average of $162.84. The stock has a market cap of $197.63 billion, a PE ratio of 20.73, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a current ratio of 0.82.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $27.78 billion for 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 revenue was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.78 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.34 EPS for the current year.

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a dividend of $1.355 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.76%. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 77.99%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On PepsiCo

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of PEP. AMF Tjanstepension AB grew its stake in PepsiCo by 15.8% during the 3rd quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 293,824 shares of the company’s stock valued at $50,016,000 after acquiring an additional 40,031 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB increased its holdings in PepsiCo by 211.4% in the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 2,345,467 shares of the company’s stock worth $398,847,000 after buying an additional 1,592,343 shares during the last quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC increased its holdings in PepsiCo by 2.0% in the third quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 4,568 shares of the company’s stock worth $777,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC acquired a new position in PepsiCo in the third quarter worth approximately $203,000. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its holdings in PepsiCo by 3.1% in the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 207,970 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,365,000 after buying an additional 6,334 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.