Aberdeen Group plc Sells 214,939 Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Aberdeen Group plc cut its position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Free Report) by 13.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,376,387 shares of the company's stock after selling 214,939 shares during the period. Aberdeen Group plc owned about 0.10% of PepsiCo worth $207,656,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of PEP. Elite Financial Inc. purchased a new position in PepsiCo during the first quarter valued at $28,000. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. purchased a new position in PepsiCo during the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Bridge Generations Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the 4th quarter worth $38,000. GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. purchased a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Sunbeam Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the 4th quarter worth $47,000. 73.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Evercore ISI set a $140.00 target price on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Dbs Bank lowered shares of PepsiCo from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Thursday, July 17th. Cowen reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Thursday, July 17th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $150.00 to $145.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $158.73.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

PEP opened at $148.62 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.12, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.60. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $136.99 and a 200 day moving average price of $140.63. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 1 year low of $127.60 and a 1 year high of $179.73. The stock has a market cap of $203.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.07, a P/E/G ratio of 3.98 and a beta of 0.45.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 17th. The company reported $2.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.03 by $0.09. PepsiCo had a net margin of 8.23% and a return on equity of 57.81%. The firm had revenue of $22.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $22.28 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.28 EPS. The business's revenue was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 5th will be given a dividend of $1.4225 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 5th. This represents a $5.69 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.8%. PepsiCo's dividend payout ratio is currently 103.64%.

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.

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