1,455,329 Shares in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) Acquired by Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new stake in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 1,455,329 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $221,297,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned 0.11% of PepsiCo at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Collier Financial acquired a new stake in PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC acquired a new stake in PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

PepsiCo Price Performance

PepsiCo stock traded down $0.70 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $130.67. The company's stock had a trading volume of 8,065,460 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,515,287. 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, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $127.75 and a fifty-two week high of $180.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $179.16 billion, a PE ratio of 18.80, a P/E/G ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.47. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $138.84 and its 200 day simple moving average is $147.83.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 10.43% and a return on equity of 58.87%. The company had revenue of $17.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.81 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.61 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 6th will be paid a dividend of $1.4225 per share. This represents a $5.69 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.35%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 6th. This is an increase from PepsiCo's previous quarterly dividend of $1.36. PepsiCo's payout ratio is 83.68%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on PEP. Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $155.00 to $150.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Citigroup reduced their target price on PepsiCo from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 25th. Barclays dropped their price target on PepsiCo from $143.00 to $135.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on PepsiCo from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $158.00 to $159.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, PepsiCo currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $160.69.

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.