PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) Shares Purchased by Astoria Portfolio Advisors LLC.

Astoria Portfolio Advisors LLC. raised its stake in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Free Report) by 103.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,601 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 2,336 shares during the period. Astoria Portfolio Advisors LLC.'s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $654,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in PepsiCo in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. purchased a new stake in PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new position in PepsiCo in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. purchased a new position in PepsiCo in the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

PepsiCo Stock Down 0.7%

NASDAQ PEP traded down $0.91 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $135.58. The company had a trading volume of 4,929,899 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,414,993. The firm's 50 day moving average is $131.36 and its 200 day moving average is $142.54. The company has a market capitalization of $185.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.94, a P/E/G ratio of 4.23 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.13, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.65. PepsiCo, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $127.60 and a fifty-two week high of $180.91.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) last announced its 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). PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.24% and a return on equity of 58.28%. The firm had revenue of $17.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $17.81 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.61 earnings per share. PepsiCo's revenue for the quarter was down 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate 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 was paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, June 6th were paid a $1.4225 dividend. This is a boost from PepsiCo's previous quarterly dividend of $1.36. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 6th. This represents a $5.69 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.20%. PepsiCo's payout ratio is 83.68%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on PEP. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $168.00 to $153.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded PepsiCo from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and cut their price target for the company from $171.00 to $170.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on PepsiCo from $158.00 to $159.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. Barclays dropped their target price on PepsiCo from $143.00 to $135.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $148.00 price target on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $159.75.

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.