Ascent Wealth Partners LLC Purchases 3,559 Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Ascent Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Free Report) by 27.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,735 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 3,559 shares during the period. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC's holdings in PepsiCo were worth $2,509,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Elite Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the first quarter worth about $28,000. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new position in PepsiCo during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 73.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

PepsiCo Price Performance

PEP stock traded down $2.20 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $143.24. 13,738,009 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,231,964. The stock has a market capitalization of $196.39 billion, a PE ratio of 26.09, a P/E/G ratio of 4.45 and a beta of 0.45. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 52 week low of $127.60 and a 52 week high of $180.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.12, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.65. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $132.23 and a 200 day moving average price of $141.18.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 17th. The company reported $2.12 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.03 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $22.73 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.28 billion. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 57.81% and a net margin of 8.23%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.28 EPS. As a group, analysts expect 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 was paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, June 6th were paid a dividend of $1.4225 per share. This is an increase from PepsiCo's previous quarterly dividend of $1.36. This represents a $5.69 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.97%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 6th. PepsiCo's dividend payout ratio is 103.64%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PEP has been the subject of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on PepsiCo from $153.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday. Bank of America dropped their price objective on PepsiCo from $150.00 to $145.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 11th. UBS Group lowered their target price on PepsiCo from $175.00 to $169.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and set a $148.00 target price on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. Finally, Dbs Bank lowered PepsiCo from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, PepsiCo has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $159.50.

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.