Avantax Advisory Services Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Key Points

• Avantax Advisory Services Inc. increased its stake in PepsiCo by 30.9%, acquiring an additional 42,854 shares, bringing its total holdings to 181,334 shares valued at approximately $27.2 million.
• PepsiCo's stock is currently trading at $143.45, with a recent earnings report showing $2.12 EPS, exceeding expectations, while the company announced a dividend of $1.4225 per share.
• Consensus ratings for PepsiCo highlight 15 hold ratings, with four buy ratings, indicating a general market sentiment of caution towards the stock despite positive growth forecasts.

Avantax Advisory Services Inc. increased its position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Free Report) by 30.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 181,334 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 42,854 shares during the period. Avantax Advisory Services Inc.'s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $27,189,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PEP. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 12.4% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 59,392 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,031,000 after buying an additional 6,574 shares during the last quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG raised its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 470,387 shares of the company's stock valued at $71,527,000 after buying an additional 11,538 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter valued at about $555,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter valued at about $59,000. Finally, Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. purchased a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter valued at about $553,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.07% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on PEP. Citigroup lifted their price objective on PepsiCo from $160.00 to $168.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 18th. Dbs Bank lowered PepsiCo from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Cowen restated a "hold" rating on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. Evercore ISI set a $140.00 price target on PepsiCo in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Thursday, July 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $158.73.

PepsiCo Price Performance

Shares of PEP stock traded down $1.32 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $142.13. The company had a trading volume of 2,741,441 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,532,747. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.12, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.78. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $133.58 and a 200-day moving average of $140.95. The company has a market capitalization of $194.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.89, a PEG ratio of 3.82 and a beta of 0.45. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 12-month low of $127.60 and a 12-month high of $180.91.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 17th. The company reported $2.12 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.03 by $0.09. The firm 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%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.28 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current year.

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 5th will be paid a $1.4225 dividend. This represents a $5.69 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.00%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 5th. PepsiCo's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 103.64%.

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.