First Financial Bank Trust Division Lowers Holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

First Financial Bank Trust Division decreased its holdings in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Free Report) by 7.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 65,982 shares of the company's stock after selling 5,117 shares during the quarter. PepsiCo comprises about 1.0% of First Financial Bank Trust Division's portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. First Financial Bank Trust Division's holdings in PepsiCo were worth $9,893,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of PEP. Tallon Kerry Patrick acquired a new position in PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at about $224,000. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in shares of PepsiCo by 12.4% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 59,392 shares of the company's stock worth $9,031,000 after purchasing an additional 6,574 shares in the last quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth about $9,268,000. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of PepsiCo by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC now owns 13,271 shares of the company's stock worth $2,018,000 after purchasing an additional 487 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Investment Counsel LLC lifted its position in shares of PepsiCo by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. Capital Investment Counsel LLC now owns 35,467 shares of the company's stock worth $5,393,000 after purchasing an additional 1,385 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.07% of the company's stock.

PepsiCo Stock Up 1.0%

PEP stock traded up $1.25 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $131.92. 6,655,903 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,521,917. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.82. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 1-year low of $127.75 and a 1-year high of $180.91. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $138.26 and its 200 day simple moving average is $147.49. The company has a market cap of $180.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.47.

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

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 6th will be given a dividend of $1.4225 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 6th. This is a positive change from PepsiCo's previous quarterly dividend of $1.36. This represents a $5.69 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.31%. PepsiCo's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 83.68%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently issued reports on PEP shares. Evercore ISI set a $140.00 price target on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $175.00 to $169.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $155.00 to $150.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of PepsiCo from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their target price for the company from $171.00 to $170.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $160.69.

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.