PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) Shares Sold by Principal Street Partners LLC

Principal Street Partners LLC cut its stake in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Free Report) by 6.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 33,059 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,245 shares during the quarter. Principal Street Partners LLC's holdings in PepsiCo were worth $5,027,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Collier Financial purchased a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. 73.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

PepsiCo Trading Down 1.3%

PEP traded down $1.65 on Wednesday, reaching $130.15. 9,238,122 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,432,722. The company's 50 day moving average is $140.35 and its 200-day moving average is $148.94. The company has a market cap of $178.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.73, a PEG ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.47. PepsiCo, Inc. has a twelve month low of $127.87 and a twelve month high of $182.13. 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 (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 business had revenue of $17.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.81 billion. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 58.87% and a net margin of 10.43%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.61 EPS. Equities analysts predict 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. Investors of record on Friday, June 6th will be given a dividend of $1.4225 per share. This represents a $5.69 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.37%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 6th. This is an increase from PepsiCo's previous quarterly dividend of $1.36. PepsiCo's dividend payout ratio is 83.68%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on PEP shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective 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. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $143.00 to $135.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 28th. StockNews.com lowered shares of PepsiCo from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. 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 lowered 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 investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price 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.