PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) Shares Sold by Vista Investment Partners II LLC

Vista Investment Partners II LLC cut its position in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Free Report) by 76.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,985 shares of the company's stock after selling 12,863 shares during the period. Vista Investment Partners II LLC's holdings in PepsiCo were worth $597,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group lowered PepsiCo from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $171.00 to $170.00 in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $158.00 to $159.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Bank of America dropped 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. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $168.00 to $153.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 25th. One 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 data from MarketBeat.com, PepsiCo presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $159.75.

PepsiCo Stock Up 2.4%

PEP traded up $3.22 on Tuesday, reaching $135.26. The company's stock had a trading volume of 12,819,257 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,011,227. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.13. PepsiCo, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $127.60 and a fifty-two week high of $180.91. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $131.64 and a two-hundred day moving average of $142.63. The company has a market capitalization of $185.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.89, a P/E/G ratio of 3.77 and a beta of 0.45.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.49 by ($0.01). PepsiCo had a return on equity of 58.28% and a net margin of 10.24%. The company had revenue of $17.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.81 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.61 earnings per share. PepsiCo'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 fiscal year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 6th were issued a $1.4225 dividend. This is an increase from PepsiCo's previous quarterly dividend of $1.36. This represents a $5.69 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 6th. PepsiCo's payout ratio is presently 83.68%.

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.