Heritage Investors Management Corp Raises Stake in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Heritage Investors Management Corp lifted its stake in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Free Report) by 9.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 143,965 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 12,205 shares during the period. Heritage Investors Management Corp's holdings in PepsiCo were worth $21,586,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

PepsiCo Stock Down 1.5%

PEP traded down $2.20 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $143.24. 13,738,009 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,239,591. The company has a market cap of $196.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.38 and a beta of 0.45. PepsiCo, Inc. has a one year low of $127.60 and a one year high of $180.91. The company's fifty day moving average price is $132.23 and its 200 day moving average price is $141.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.12, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.78.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 17th. The company reported $2.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.03 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $22.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $22.28 billion. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 57.81% and a net margin of 8.23%. PepsiCo's quarterly revenue was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.28 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 was Friday, June 6th. This represents a $5.69 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.97%. This is an increase from PepsiCo's previous quarterly dividend of $1.36. PepsiCo's dividend payout ratio is currently 103.64%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PEP has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $160.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $140.00 to $154.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Thursday. Cowen reissued a "hold" rating on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Thursday. Finally, UBS Group cut their target price on PepsiCo from $175.00 to $169.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $157.93.

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.