AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc Boosts Stock Position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc lifted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Free Report) by 44.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 529,894 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 161,914 shares during the quarter. PepsiCo comprises about 1.2% of AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc's holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc's holdings in PepsiCo were worth $79,389,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in PEP. Collier Financial acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. acquired a new position in PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.07% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PEP has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. HSBC reduced their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $186.00 to $170.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of PepsiCo from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and set a $163.00 target price on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Dbs Bank cut PepsiCo from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on PepsiCo from $158.00 to $159.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, PepsiCo currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $160.69.

PepsiCo Price Performance

PEP stock traded down $0.11 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $131.74. 6,514,304 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,561,607. 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's 50 day moving average price is $137.27 and its 200 day moving average price is $146.72. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 52-week low of $127.75 and a 52-week high of $180.91. The company has a market cap of $180.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.96, a PEG ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.47.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.49 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $17.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.81 billion. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 58.87% and a net margin of 10.43%. The business's revenue was down 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.61 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 6th will be issued a $1.4225 dividend. This represents a $5.69 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.32%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 6th. This is an increase from PepsiCo's previous quarterly dividend of $1.36. PepsiCo's dividend payout ratio is 83.68%.

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.