PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP Holdings Raised by Aberdeen Group plc

Key Points

• Aberdeen Group increased its PepsiCo stake by 159% in Q3, adding about 1.76 million shares to hold 2.86 million shares valued at roughly $363 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.07% of the stock.
• PepsiCo reported quarterly earnings of $2.34 per share, beating the $2.29 consensus, while revenue of $25.27 billion exceeded expectations and rose 5.6% year over year.
• Analyst sentiment is mostly neutral: the stock has an average “Hold” rating and a consensus price target of $143.28. In insider trading, a director bought shares while CEO Ramon Laguarta sold 30,000 shares.

Aberdeen Group plc grew its stake in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Free Report) by 159.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,863,052 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,757,560 shares during the period. Aberdeen Group plc owned 0.21% of PepsiCo worth $362,806,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. BlackRock Inc. lifted its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 2.1% during the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 118,281,854 shares of the company's stock valued at $16,015,363,000 after acquiring an additional 2,440,377 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in PepsiCo by 1.7% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 60,406,932 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,179,099,000 after acquiring an additional 987,582 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in PepsiCo by 0.6% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 21,283,701 shares of the company's stock worth $3,305,146,000 after purchasing an additional 133,325 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in PepsiCo by 4.9% in the second quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 11,817,684 shares of the company's stock worth $1,600,114,000 after purchasing an additional 549,336 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi increased its position in PepsiCo by 16.8% in the first quarter. Amundi now owns 11,444,671 shares of the company's stock worth $1,777,243,000 after purchasing an additional 1,647,506 shares during the period. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

PepsiCo Price Performance

NASDAQ PEP opened at $145.44 on Friday. The firm's 50 day moving average is $133.64 and its 200-day moving average is $145.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90. The company has a market capitalization of $198.20 billion, a PE ratio of 18.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.23 and a beta of 0.31. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 12-month low of $123.47 and a 12-month high of $171.48.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 7th. The company reported $2.34 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.29 by $0.05. PepsiCo had a net margin of 11.09% and a return on equity of 53.08%. The business had revenue of $25.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $24.95 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.29 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $140.00 to $135.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 5th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "hold" rating on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Friday, October 9th. BNP Paribas Exane reduced their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $161.00 to $157.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $145.00 target price on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Friday, October 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $143.28.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Robert C. Pohlad acquired 184,646 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 14th. The shares were bought at an average price of $128.28 per share, for a total transaction of $23,686,388.88. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 433,009 shares in the company, valued at approximately $55,546,394.52. This trade represents a 74.35% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Ramon Laguarta sold 30,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.13, for a total transaction of $4,053,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 491,645 shares in the company, valued at approximately $66,435,988.85. The trade was a 5.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 0.12% of the company's stock.

PepsiCo Company Profile

PepsiCo, Inc. is a global food and beverage company that develops, manufactures, markets and distributes a broad range of products. Its portfolio includes snacks such as Lay's, Doritos and Cheetos, as well as beverages including Pepsi, Gatorade and Mountain Dew. The company was formed in 1965 through the merger of Pepsi-Cola and Frito-Lay. Its products are sold in more than 200 countries and territories through retail, food-service and other distribution channels. PepsiCo is headquartered in Purchase, New York.

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