Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. Trims Holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. lessened its stake in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Free Report) by 6.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 72,157 shares of the company's stock after selling 5,293 shares during the quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD.'s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $10,819,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Elite Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in PepsiCo during the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. purchased a new stake in PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Summit Securities Group LLC purchased a new stake in PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.07% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PEP has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Citigroup cut their price target on PepsiCo from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Bank of America cut their price target on PepsiCo from $155.00 to $150.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Dbs Bank lowered PepsiCo from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on PepsiCo from $158.00 to $159.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered PepsiCo from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and cut their price target for the stock from $171.00 to $170.00 in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $159.75.

PepsiCo Price Performance

PEP stock traded up $0.59 on Tuesday, reaching $135.04. 7,714,987 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,065,402. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $131.42 and a 200-day moving average of $141.98. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.13. The firm has a market cap of $185.15 billion, a PE ratio of 19.86, a P/E/G ratio of 4.23 and a beta of 0.45. PepsiCo, Inc. has a twelve month low of $127.60 and a twelve month high of $180.91.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.49 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $17.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $17.81 billion. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 58.28% and a net margin of 10.24%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.61 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, June 6th were given a dividend of $1.4225 per share. 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 was Friday, June 6th. PepsiCo's payout ratio is currently 83.68%.

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.