PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP Shares Purchased by IFM Investors Pty Ltd

Key Points

• IFM Investors Pty Ltd increased its PepsiCo stake by 4.8% in the first quarter, buying 12,472 more shares and bringing its total holdings to 273,135 shares valued at about $42.4 million.
• Several other institutional investors also raised their positions, and hedge funds and institutions now own 73.07% of PepsiCo’s stock, signaling continued institutional interest.
• PepsiCo is facing mixed signals: analysts expect higher upcoming earnings and the company recently raised its dividend, but the stock was down 2.4% and it still faces competitive pressure in beverages and a trademark dispute.

IFM Investors Pty Ltd boosted its stake in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Free Report) by 4.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 273,135 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 12,472 shares during the quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd's holdings in PepsiCo were worth $42,415,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Captrust Financial Advisors raised its stake in PepsiCo by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 554,798 shares of the company's stock valued at $77,916,000 after purchasing an additional 19,218 shares during the last quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd boosted its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 11.4% during the 4th quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 415,271 shares of the company's stock worth $59,600,000 after purchasing an additional 42,335 shares during the last quarter. Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc. grew its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 622.3% during the fourth quarter. Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc. now owns 35,603 shares of the company's stock worth $5,110,000 after buying an additional 30,674 shares in the last quarter. Allstate Corp raised its position in shares of PepsiCo by 108.1% in the fourth quarter. Allstate Corp now owns 104,723 shares of the company's stock valued at $15,030,000 after buying an additional 54,405 shares during the last quarter. Finally, National Pension Service raised its position in shares of PepsiCo by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. National Pension Service now owns 3,143,939 shares of the company's stock valued at $451,218,000 after buying an additional 77,051 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.07% of the company's stock.

Key PepsiCo News

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Investor sentiment was lifted by bullish commentary from 24/7 Wall St., which argued PepsiCo could have more than 20% upside based on a price target above current levels and called the stock a buy. Pepsi Price Prediction: The Case for 20%+ Upside
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual options activity pointed to rising trader interest, with investors buying a large volume of PepsiCo call options, often interpreted as a bullish signal. Investors Buy Large Volume of PepsiCo Call Options NASDAQ: PEP
• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo expanded its manufacturing footprint in India by commissioning a second flavor plant in Ujjain, a long-term growth investment that could support supply and regional demand. PepsiCo India opens ₹1,266 cr flavour manufacturing facility in Ujjain
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts are heading into PepsiCo’s July 9 earnings release expecting higher Q2 earnings and revenue, but this is still a forecast rather than a reported result. PepsiCo Likely To Report Higher Q2 Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: PepsiCo is also facing a trademark dispute involving “Rise” and “Mtn Dew Rise” at the U.S. Supreme Court, which adds legal uncertainty but is not yet a confirmed financial hit. US Supreme Court takes up Pepsi 'Mtn Dew Rise' trademark dispute
• Negative Sentiment: Competition in the soda market remains intense, with Coca-Cola highlighted as having a Freestyle-machine advantage and launching an exclusive new soda flavor at Wingstop, underscoring pressure on PepsiCo’s beverage business. Coca-Cola launches exclusive soda flavor at fast-food giant

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PEP has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group set a $162.00 target price on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Evercore increased their price target on PepsiCo from $165.00 to $170.00 in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on PepsiCo from $173.00 to $168.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, June 18th. HSBC lifted their price objective on PepsiCo from $175.00 to $176.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane increased their target price on PepsiCo from $191.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $166.80.

PepsiCo Stock Down 2.4%

Shares of NASDAQ PEP opened at $135.40 on Wednesday. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 52-week low of $132.47 and a 52-week high of $171.48. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $147.56 and a 200-day moving average of $151.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $185.06 billion, a PE ratio of 21.26, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The company reported $1.61 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.55 by $0.06. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 56.61% and a net margin of 9.15%.The business had revenue of $19.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.89 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.48 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.62 EPS for the current year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 5th were issued a $1.48 dividend. This is a positive change from PepsiCo's previous quarterly dividend of $1.42. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 5th. This represents a $5.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.4%. PepsiCo's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 92.94%.

About PepsiCo

PepsiCo, Inc NASDAQ: PEP is a multinational food and beverage company headquartered in Purchase, New York. The company develops, manufactures, markets and sells a broad portfolio of branded food and beverage products, including carbonated and noncarbonated soft drinks, bottled water, sports drinks, juices, ready-to-drink teas and coffees, salty snacks, cereals, and other convenient foods. Its leading consumer brands include Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Gatorade, Tropicana, Quaker, Lay's, Doritos and Cheetos, among others.

Formed through the 1965 merger of Pepsi-Cola and Frito-Lay, PepsiCo has grown into a global business with integrated manufacturing, distribution and marketing operations.

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