KBC Group NV Has $69.63 Million Position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

KBC Group NV increased its position in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Free Report) by 64.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 464,368 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 181,951 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV's holdings in PepsiCo were worth $69,628,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. bought a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Summit Securities Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. acquired a new position in PepsiCo during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Institutional investors own 73.07% of the company's stock.

PepsiCo Price Performance

Shares of PEP traded up $1.00 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $132.04. The company's stock had a trading volume of 11,394,504 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,987,978. PepsiCo, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $127.60 and a fifty-two week high of $180.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $181.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.42, a PEG ratio of 3.77 and a beta of 0.46. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $131.83 and a 200 day moving average price of $142.82. 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 (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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). The company had revenue of $17.92 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.81 billion. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 58.28% and a net margin of 10.24%. The business's revenue was down 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.61 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 6th will be issued a $1.4225 dividend. This represents a $5.69 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.31%. This is a boost from PepsiCo's previous quarterly dividend of $1.36. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 6th. PepsiCo's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 83.68%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on PEP. Bank of America dropped 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $158.00 to $159.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Evercore ISI set a $140.00 target price on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Jefferies Financial Group cut 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. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and issued a $148.00 price objective 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 assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, PepsiCo currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus 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.