PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) Stock Position Raised by Alta Advisers Ltd

Alta Advisers Ltd increased its holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Free Report) by 55.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,997 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,500 shares during the period. Alta Advisers Ltd's holdings in PepsiCo were worth $1,049,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PEP. Hixon Zuercher LLC increased its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 16.4% during the 1st quarter. Hixon Zuercher LLC now owns 29,969 shares of the company's stock worth $4,493,000 after buying an additional 4,221 shares during the last quarter. Kennon Green & Company LLC increased its stake in PepsiCo by 60.6% during the first quarter. Kennon Green & Company LLC now owns 20,569 shares of the company's stock worth $3,084,000 after acquiring an additional 7,761 shares during the last quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators raised its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 5.4% in the 1st quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 9,329 shares of the company's stock worth $1,399,000 after purchasing an additional 482 shares during the period. Smith Salley Wealth Management lifted its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. Smith Salley Wealth Management now owns 125,165 shares of the company's stock valued at $18,767,000 after purchasing an additional 2,119 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the 1st quarter worth about $1,529,000. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

PEP stock traded up $3.22 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $135.26. The company had a trading volume of 12,843,472 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,011,314. The firm has a market capitalization of $185.45 billion, a PE ratio of 19.89, a P/E/G ratio of 3.77 and a beta of 0.45. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $131.64 and a 200 day moving average price of $142.63. PepsiCo, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $127.60 and a fifty-two week high of $180.91. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.13.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.49 by ($0.01). The company 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 company's revenue for the quarter was down 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.61 EPS. Analysts anticipate that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 6th were issued a $1.4225 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 6th. This is a boost from PepsiCo's previous quarterly dividend of $1.36. This represents a $5.69 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.21%. PepsiCo's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 83.68%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PEP has been the subject of several research reports. Dbs Bank downgraded shares of PepsiCo from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on PepsiCo from $168.00 to $153.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 25th. Citigroup cut their price objective on PepsiCo from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered PepsiCo from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their target price for the company from $171.00 to $170.00 in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and set a $148.00 price target on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, PepsiCo presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $159.75.

PepsiCo 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.