PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) Shares Sold by Vista Investment Partners LLC

Vista Investment Partners LLC lessened its stake in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Free Report) by 72.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 6,957 shares of the company's stock after selling 18,562 shares during the period. Vista Investment Partners LLC's holdings in PepsiCo were worth $1,043,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC bought a new position in PepsiCo in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC purchased a new position in PepsiCo during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in PepsiCo in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. purchased a new stake in PepsiCo in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Summit Securities Group LLC bought a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. 73.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

Shares of PEP stock remained flat at $129.07 during trading hours on Friday. 22,829,659 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,799,526. The stock has a market cap of $176.97 billion, a PE ratio of 18.98, a PEG ratio of 3.71 and a beta of 0.45. PepsiCo, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $127.75 and a fifty-two week high of $180.91. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $133.50 and a 200 day simple moving average of $144.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.13, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.83.

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

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 6th will be given a $1.4225 dividend. This represents a $5.69 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.41%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 6th. This is a positive change from PepsiCo's previous quarterly dividend of $1.36. PepsiCo's dividend payout ratio is currently 83.68%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

PEP has been the subject of a number of research reports. Bank of America dropped their price target on PepsiCo from $155.00 to $150.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of PepsiCo from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $171.00 to $170.00 in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Barclays dropped their price objective on PepsiCo from $143.00 to $135.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Evercore ISI set a $140.00 target price on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. One research 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, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $160.69.

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.