PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) Stock Price Down 0.2%

PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report)'s share price dropped 0.2% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $174.84 and last traded at $175.71. Approximately 644,773 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 89% from the average daily volume of 5,759,966 shares. The stock had previously closed at $176.14.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on PEP. Royal Bank of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and set a $180.00 target price on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Wedbush restated an "outperform" rating and set a $195.00 target price on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on PepsiCo from $178.00 to $181.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th. Citigroup upgraded PepsiCo from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $180.00 to $195.00 in a research report on Monday, February 12th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on PepsiCo from $184.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $187.42.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96. The business has a 50 day moving average of $169.74 and a 200 day moving average of $168.16. The company has a market capitalization of $241.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.53.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.61 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.52 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $18.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.08 billion. PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.00% and a return on equity of 57.37%. PepsiCo's revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.50 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.16 earnings per share for the current year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 7th will be given a dividend of $1.355 per share. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.08%. This is a boost from PepsiCo's previous quarterly dividend of $1.27. PepsiCo's dividend payout ratio is currently 76.09%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On PepsiCo

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Sunesis Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the third quarter worth approximately $1,026,000. Golden State Equity Partners increased its position in shares of PepsiCo by 6.5% during the third quarter. Golden State Equity Partners now owns 8,031 shares of the company's stock worth $1,361,000 after acquiring an additional 489 shares during the period. Signet Investment Advisory Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 5.7% during the third quarter. Signet Investment Advisory Group Inc. now owns 12,384 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,098,000 after acquiring an additional 670 shares in the last quarter. Bfsg LLC boosted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 4.4% in the third quarter. Bfsg LLC now owns 15,431 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,615,000 after purchasing an additional 655 shares during the period. Finally, One Day In July LLC purchased a new position in PepsiCo during the 3rd quarter worth $255,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.07% of the company's stock.

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.