PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) Shares Bought by Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Free Report) by 11.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,110,484 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 111,517 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC owned 0.08% of PepsiCo worth $168,860,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of PEP. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth about $2,729,565,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in PepsiCo during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $589,307,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in 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. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new stake in PepsiCo in the 4th quarter worth approximately $221,297,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 1.0% during the 4th 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. 73.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

PepsiCo Price Performance

PEP stock traded down $0.30 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $131.62. The company's stock had a trading volume of 12,988,785 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,547,719. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05. The company's 50 day moving average is $138.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $147.49. PepsiCo, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $127.75 and a fifty-two week high of $180.91. The stock has a market cap of $180.46 billion, a PE ratio of 18.94, a P/E/G ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.47.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.49 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $17.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.81 billion. PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.43% and a return on equity of 58.87%. PepsiCo's revenue for the quarter was down 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.61 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, June 6th will be issued a $1.4225 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 6th. This represents a $5.69 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.32%. This is a positive change from PepsiCo's previous quarterly dividend of $1.36. PepsiCo's dividend payout ratio is currently 83.68%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PEP has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $143.00 to $135.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 28th. HSBC dropped their target price on PepsiCo from $186.00 to $170.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on PepsiCo from $158.00 to $159.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Bank of America reduced their target price on PepsiCo from $155.00 to $150.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $160.69.

About PepsiCo

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.