Focus Partners Wealth Raises Stock Position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Focus Partners Wealth lifted its position in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Free Report) by 13.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,119,611 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 129,660 shares during the quarter. Focus Partners Wealth owned 0.08% of PepsiCo worth $171,244,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in PepsiCo by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 133,371,504 shares of the company's stock valued at $20,280,471,000 after purchasing an additional 1,376,133 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 31,079,522 shares of the company's stock worth $4,717,069,000 after acquiring an additional 582,254 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in PepsiCo by 18.1% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 25,217,043 shares of the company's stock worth $3,834,504,000 after purchasing an additional 3,856,193 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth about $2,729,565,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in PepsiCo by 8.7% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 16,403,395 shares of the company's stock worth $2,494,300,000 after purchasing an additional 1,306,818 shares in the last quarter. 73.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

PepsiCo Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ PEP traded down $2.11 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $128.20. 5,670,224 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,312,735. The company has a market capitalization of $175.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 52-week low of $127.90 and a 52-week high of $183.41. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $142.80 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $150.32.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share 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 the consensus estimate of $17.81 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.61 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, June 6th will be paid a $1.4225 dividend. This represents a $5.69 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.44%. This is an increase from PepsiCo's previous quarterly dividend of $1.36. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 6th. PepsiCo's payout ratio is presently 83.68%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on PEP. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on PepsiCo from $158.00 to $159.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. Bank of America dropped their price objective on PepsiCo from $155.00 to $150.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. Barclays dropped their price objective on PepsiCo from $143.00 to $135.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 28th. HSBC lowered their price target on PepsiCo from $186.00 to $170.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Evercore ISI set a $140.00 price target on PepsiCo in a report on Thursday, April 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, PepsiCo presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target 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.