PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) Shares Acquired by North Star Asset Management Inc.

North Star Asset Management Inc. grew its position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Free Report) by 3.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 61,090 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,082 shares during the quarter. North Star Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $9,289,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of PEP. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,729,565,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $589,307,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 18.1% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 25,217,043 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,834,504,000 after acquiring an additional 3,856,193 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 133,371,504 shares of the company's stock worth $20,280,471,000 after purchasing an additional 1,376,133 shares during the period. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 360.0% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,697,742 shares of the company's stock worth $258,158,000 after purchasing an additional 1,328,672 shares during the period. 73.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and set a $163.00 price target on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Evercore ISI set a $140.00 price target on PepsiCo in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Bank of America decreased their price target on PepsiCo from $155.00 to $150.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 25th. Wall Street Zen downgraded PepsiCo from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on PepsiCo from $158.00 to $159.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $160.69.

PepsiCo Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ PEP opened at $129.34 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $177.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.61, a PEG ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.47. PepsiCo, Inc. has a one year low of $127.75 and a one year high of $180.91. The company's fifty day moving average is $139.53 and its two-hundred day moving average is $148.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.82.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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). The firm had revenue of $17.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.81 billion. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 58.87% and a net margin of 10.43%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.61 EPS. Analysts forecast that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 6th will be paid a dividend of $1.4225 per share. This represents a $5.69 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.40%. 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 payout ratio 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.

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