PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) Shares Sold by CENTRAL TRUST Co

CENTRAL TRUST Co lessened its holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Free Report) by 3.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 168,828 shares of the company's stock after selling 6,085 shares during the quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co's holdings in PepsiCo were worth $25,314,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of PEP. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC acquired a new position in PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. purchased a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. 73.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

NASDAQ:PEP opened at $131.41 on Tuesday. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $134.45 and its 200 day simple moving average is $144.73. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05. PepsiCo, Inc. has a twelve month low of $127.75 and a twelve month high of $180.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $180.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.91, a PEG ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.45.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.49 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $17.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.81 billion. PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.43% and a return on equity of 58.87%. PepsiCo's quarterly revenue was down 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.61 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, June 6th will be issued a dividend of $1.4225 per share. This represents a $5.69 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.33%. This is a positive change from PepsiCo's previous quarterly dividend of $1.36. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 6th. PepsiCo's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 83.68%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and set a $163.00 target price on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Barclays cut their price objective on PepsiCo from $143.00 to $135.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 28th. UBS Group dropped their price target on PepsiCo from $175.00 to $169.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on PepsiCo from $168.00 to $153.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Dbs Bank cut PepsiCo from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, PepsiCo has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $160.69.

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.

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