LM Advisors LLC Boosts Stake in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

LM Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Free Report) by 240.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,957 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 4,914 shares during the quarter. LM Advisors LLC's holdings in PepsiCo were worth $1,067,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of PepsiCo from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and cut their price target for the stock from $171.00 to $170.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. 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 note on Friday, April 25th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on PepsiCo from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and issued a $163.00 price objective on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Evercore ISI set a $140.00 price objective on PepsiCo in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $160.69.

PepsiCo Price Performance

PEP traded up $0.68 during trading on Thursday, reaching $131.35. 3,019,042 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,762,435. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 12-month low of $127.75 and a 12-month high of $180.91. The company has a market cap of $180.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.89, a P/E/G ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.47. 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 company's 50-day moving average is $138.55 and its two-hundred day moving average is $147.72.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share (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 firm had revenue of $17.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $17.81 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.61 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, June 6th will be given a $1.4225 dividend. This represents a $5.69 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.33%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 6th. This is an increase from PepsiCo's previous quarterly dividend of $1.36. PepsiCo's dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.