PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) Trading Up 3.2% – Here’s Why

PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)’s share price shot up 3.2% on Monday . The stock traded as high as $159.69 and last traded at $159.33. 2,300,312 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 58% from the average session volume of 5,437,056 shares. The stock had previously closed at $154.44.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on PEP shares. Royal Bank of Canada assumed coverage on PepsiCo in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. They set a $172.00 price objective on the stock. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $195.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. CICC Research reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $185.00 to $168.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price target on PepsiCo from $193.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, PepsiCo currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $172.35.

PepsiCo Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $214.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.48, a P/E/G ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.82. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $148.80 and a two-hundred day moving average of $160.76.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last issued its quarterly 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. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 58.87% and a net margin of 10.43%. The company had revenue of $27.78 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $27.89 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.78 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a $1.355 dividend. This represents a $5.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.47%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is 77.99%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On PepsiCo

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of PEP. Capstone Triton Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of PepsiCo by 6.4% during the 4th quarter. Capstone Triton Financial Group LLC now owns 6,008 shares of the company’s stock worth $914,000 after purchasing an additional 360 shares in the last quarter. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth about $255,000. TFR Capital LLC. acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth approximately $207,000. Copley Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 4,210.1% in the 4th quarter. Copley Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,974 shares of the company’s stock worth $452,000 after acquiring an additional 2,905 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GHE LLC grew its position in PepsiCo by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. GHE LLC now owns 12,799 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,946,000 after acquiring an additional 682 shares during the last quarter. 73.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.