Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Free Report) by 69.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 117,127 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 48,149 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $17,562,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

PepsiCo Stock Up 0.2%

PEP stock traded up $0.20 during trading on Thursday, hitting $128.22. 11,519,153 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,888,552. The stock has a market cap of $175.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.68 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.13, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.65. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 1 year low of $127.63 and a 1 year high of $180.91. The firm's 50 day moving average is $132.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $143.22.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $1.49 by ($0.01). PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.24% and a return on equity of 58.28%. The firm had revenue of $17.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $17.81 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.61 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was down 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The firm 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 $1.4225 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 6th. This represents a $5.69 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.44%. This is a boost from PepsiCo's previous quarterly dividend of $1.36. PepsiCo's payout ratio is currently 83.68%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on PEP. 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $158.00 to $159.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Bank of America lowered their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $155.00 to $150.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 25th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded PepsiCo from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $171.00 to $170.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, Evercore ISI set a $140.00 target price on PepsiCo in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $159.75.

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.