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

GF Fund Management CO. LTD. bought a new position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 260,023 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $39,539,000. PepsiCo comprises 0.9% of GF Fund Management CO. LTD.'s holdings, making the stock its 19th biggest holding.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Collier Financial purchased a new position in PepsiCo during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. acquired a new stake in PepsiCo in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PEP has been the topic of several research reports. Bank of America decreased their target price on PepsiCo from $155.00 to $150.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Citigroup reduced their price target on PepsiCo from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $175.00 to $169.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and issued a $163.00 price target on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. One 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's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $160.69.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

PEP traded up $2.01 on Tuesday, hitting $131.35. 6,608,595 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,503,562. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 12-month low of $127.75 and a 12-month high of $180.91. The company has a 50 day moving average of $139.16 and a 200-day moving average of $147.95. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $180.10 billion, a PE ratio of 18.90, 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 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.49 by ($0.01). PepsiCo had a return on equity of 58.87% and a net margin of 10.43%. The company had revenue of $17.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $17.81 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.61 EPS. 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 year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 6th will be paid a dividend of $1.4225 per share. This represents a $5.69 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.33%. This is an increase from PepsiCo's previous quarterly dividend of $1.36. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 6th. PepsiCo's dividend payout ratio is 83.68%.

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.