Kovack Advisors Inc. Raises Stock Holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Kovack Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Free Report) by 47.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 20,271 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 6,528 shares during the quarter. Kovack Advisors Inc.'s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $3,039,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC bought a new position in PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Elite Financial Inc. bought a new position in PepsiCo in the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. bought a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new stake in PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.07% of the company's stock.

PepsiCo Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of PepsiCo stock traded down $1.06 on Friday, hitting $143.45. 6,596,497 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 10,334,833. PepsiCo, Inc. has a one year low of $127.60 and a one year 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 0.60. The company has a fifty day moving average of $133.58 and a two-hundred day moving average of $140.99. The company has a market capitalization of $196.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.82 and a beta of 0.45.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 17th. The company reported $2.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.03 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $22.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.28 billion. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 57.81% and a net margin of 8.23%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.28 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 5th will be issued a $1.4225 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 5th. This represents a $5.69 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.97%. PepsiCo's dividend payout ratio is presently 103.64%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on PEP shares. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on PepsiCo from $153.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, July 18th. Bank of America cut their target price on PepsiCo from $150.00 to $145.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 11th. Cowen reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and set a $148.00 target price on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on PepsiCo from $140.00 to $154.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, July 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, PepsiCo currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $158.73.

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.