Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV Acquires New Holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 30,443 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,565,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Tcfg Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in PepsiCo by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Tcfg Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,938 shares of the company's stock worth $295,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the period. TAGStone Capital Inc. raised its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. TAGStone Capital Inc. now owns 2,527 shares of the company's stock valued at $388,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Lokken Investment Group LLC lifted its holdings in PepsiCo by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Lokken Investment Group LLC now owns 7,699 shares of the company's stock worth $1,171,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Legacy Financial Group LLC grew its position in PepsiCo by 4.9% in the 1st quarter. Legacy Financial Group LLC now owns 1,514 shares of the company's stock valued at $227,000 after buying an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Atlantic Private Wealth LLC increased its stake in PepsiCo by 37.5% during the 4th quarter. Atlantic Private Wealth LLC now owns 275 shares of the company's stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.07% of the company's stock.

PepsiCo Trading Down 1.6%

PEP traded down $2.12 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $129.29. The company had a trading volume of 10,168,765 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,714,335. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 12-month low of $127.75 and a 12-month high of $180.91. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $134.13 and its 200 day simple moving average is $144.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.13, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.83. The company has a market cap of $177.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.01, a PEG ratio of 3.77 and a beta of 0.45.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.49 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $17.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.81 billion. PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.24% and a return on equity of 58.28%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.61 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 6th will be paid a $1.4225 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 6th. This is an increase from PepsiCo's previous quarterly dividend of $1.36. This represents a $5.69 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.40%. PepsiCo's dividend payout ratio is 83.68%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PEP has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $158.00 to $159.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $163.00 target price on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on PepsiCo from $168.00 to $153.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on PepsiCo from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their target price on PepsiCo from $155.00 to $150.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $160.69.

About PepsiCo

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.