Graypoint LLC Increases Position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Graypoint LLC lifted its position in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Free Report) by 32.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 10,500 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,574 shares during the period. Graypoint LLC's holdings in PepsiCo were worth $1,574,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of PEP. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in PepsiCo in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Elite Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the 1st quarter worth $28,000. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. acquired a new position in PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Summit Securities Group LLC bought a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Institutional investors own 73.07% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PEP has been the subject of several recent research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on PepsiCo from $150.00 to $139.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and set a $148.00 price objective on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $140.00 to $154.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $153.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, PepsiCo presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $159.50.

PepsiCo Stock Down 1.5%

Shares of PEP traded down $2.20 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $143.24. The company had a trading volume of 13,738,009 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,231,960. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.12, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.78. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $131.97 and a 200 day moving average price of $141.24. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 52 week low of $127.60 and a 52 week high of $180.91. The company has a market capitalization of $196.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.45 and a beta of 0.45.

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 the consensus estimate of $2.03 by $0.09. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 57.81% and a net margin of 8.23%. The company had revenue of $22.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $22.28 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.28 earnings per share. PepsiCo's revenue was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 6th were given a $1.4225 dividend. This is a boost from PepsiCo's previous quarterly dividend of $1.36. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 6th. This represents a $5.69 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.97%. PepsiCo's dividend 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.