Morse Asset Management Inc Sells 5,000 Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Morse Asset Management Inc decreased its holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Free Report) by 85.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 856 shares of the company's stock after selling 5,000 shares during the period. Morse Asset Management Inc's holdings in PepsiCo were worth $130,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Collier Financial bought a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in PepsiCo in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new position in PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on PEP shares. HSBC cut their price objective on PepsiCo from $186.00 to $170.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. 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 report on Wednesday, February 5th. Evercore ISI set a $140.00 target price on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Dbs Bank lowered shares of PepsiCo from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of PepsiCo from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. One equities 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $160.69.

PepsiCo Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:PEP traded up $0.48 on Friday, hitting $131.98. The stock had a trading volume of 8,714,233 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,369,916. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $141.78 and its 200-day moving average price is $149.90. 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 twelve month low of $127.87 and a twelve month high of $183.41. The company has a market capitalization of $180.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.47.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) last issued 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 return on equity of 58.87% and a net margin of 10.43%. The firm had revenue of $17.92 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.81 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.61 earnings per share. PepsiCo's quarterly revenue was down 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current 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 issued a dividend of $1.4225 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 6th. This represents a $5.69 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.31%. This is a positive change from PepsiCo's previous quarterly dividend of $1.36. PepsiCo's dividend 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.