GF Fund Management CO. LTD. Invests $39.54 Million in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

GF Fund Management CO. LTD. purchased a new stake in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 260,023 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $39,539,000. PepsiCo makes up about 0.9% of GF Fund Management CO. LTD.'s holdings, making the stock its 19th largest position.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Tallon Kerry Patrick acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at about $224,000. Trust Co. of Oklahoma boosted its position in PepsiCo by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Trust Co. of Oklahoma now owns 28,269 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,299,000 after buying an additional 799 shares in the last quarter. Red Door Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in PepsiCo by 7.8% in the fourth quarter. Red Door Wealth Management LLC now owns 35,436 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,388,000 after buying an additional 2,568 shares in the last quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of PepsiCo by 31.8% during the fourth quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC now owns 3,546 shares of the company's stock worth $539,000 after purchasing an additional 855 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Apeiron RIA LLC raised its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 25.8% during the fourth quarter. Apeiron RIA LLC now owns 5,277 shares of the company's stock worth $802,000 after buying an additional 1,082 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.07% of the company's stock.

PepsiCo Price Performance

NASDAQ:PEP traded up $0.01 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $131.38. 2,389,258 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,487,899. The business has a 50 day moving average of $138.84 and a 200 day moving average of $147.83. The company has a market capitalization of $180.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.90, a P/E/G ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.47. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 1-year low of $127.75 and a 1-year high of $180.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.65.

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

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, June 6th will be paid a $1.4225 dividend. The ex-dividend date is 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 4.33%. PepsiCo's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 83.68%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on PEP shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of PepsiCo from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $175.00 to $169.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $158.00 to $159.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, BNP Paribas cut their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $162.00 to $160.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. One 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, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target 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.