Planning Directions Inc. Acquires 22,368 Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Planning Directions Inc. raised its position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Free Report) by 1,095.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 24,409 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 22,368 shares during the quarter. PepsiCo comprises about 1.6% of Planning Directions Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 18th largest position. Planning Directions Inc.'s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $3,660,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

PepsiCo Trading Down 0.7%

PepsiCo stock traded down $0.93 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $134.45. The company's stock had a trading volume of 7,771,754 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,062,788. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $131.40 and a 200-day moving average price of $142.11. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 12 month low of $127.60 and a 12 month high of $180.91. The stock has a market cap of $184.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.23 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 (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.49 by ($0.01). PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.24% and a return on equity of 58.28%. The company had revenue of $17.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $17.81 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.61 earnings per share. The company's revenue was down 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 6th were issued a $1.4225 dividend. This represents a $5.69 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 6th. This is a positive change from PepsiCo's previous quarterly dividend of $1.36. PepsiCo's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 83.68%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PEP has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of PepsiCo from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $171.00 to $170.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $168.00 to $153.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 25th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and issued a $148.00 price target on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on PepsiCo from $175.00 to $169.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their target price on PepsiCo from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $159.75.

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.