IFM Investors Pty Ltd Buys 23,758 Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

IFM Investors Pty Ltd raised its stake in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Free Report) by 9.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 277,359 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 23,758 shares during the quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd's holdings in PepsiCo were worth $41,587,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of PEP. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. bought a new stake in PepsiCo during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Summit Securities Group LLC bought a new stake in PepsiCo during the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. bought a new stake in PepsiCo during the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PEP has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $175.00 to $169.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 25th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $168.00 to $153.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 25th. Dbs Bank lowered shares of PepsiCo from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $155.00 to $150.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of PepsiCo from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $171.00 to $170.00 in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. 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, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $159.75.

PepsiCo Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of NASDAQ:PEP traded down $0.91 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $135.58. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,941,378 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,048,532. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $131.40 and a 200-day moving average of $142.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $185.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.94, a PEG ratio of 4.23 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.13. 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 announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.49 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $17.92 billion during 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 for the quarter was down 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.61 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, June 6th were paid a $1.4225 dividend. This is a boost from PepsiCo's previous quarterly dividend of $1.36. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 6th. This represents a $5.69 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.20%. PepsiCo's payout ratio is presently 83.68%.

PepsiCo 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.