Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV Sells 10,475 Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV lessened its holdings in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Free Report) by 30.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 23,742 shares of the company's stock after selling 10,475 shares during the period. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV's holdings in PepsiCo were worth $4,155,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in PepsiCo by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 19,001,928 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,227,287,000 after buying an additional 578,083 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in PepsiCo by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 16,878,022 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,859,812,000 after buying an additional 595,357 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in PepsiCo in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,686,139,000. California Public Employees Retirement System increased its position in shares of PepsiCo by 17.9% during the 4th quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 9,664,323 shares of the company's stock worth $1,641,389,000 after purchasing an additional 1,470,064 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in shares of PepsiCo by 17.7% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 8,954,951 shares of the company's stock worth $1,520,909,000 after purchasing an additional 1,345,065 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 73.07% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on PEP. StockNews.com downgraded PepsiCo from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and set a $180.00 target price on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Monday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on PepsiCo from $178.00 to $181.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th. Argus downgraded PepsiCo from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on PepsiCo from $199.00 to $209.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $187.42.

PepsiCo Price Performance

PepsiCo stock traded up $0.70 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $176.15. 3,492,120 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,328,097. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a current ratio of 0.86. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $170.14 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $168.36. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 52-week low of $155.83 and a 52-week high of $196.88. The company has a market cap of $242.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.49, a PEG ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.52.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) last released 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. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 57.37% and a net margin of 10.00%. The company had revenue of $18.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.08 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.50 EPS. PepsiCo's revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.16 earnings per share for the current year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 7th will be given a dividend of $1.355 per share. This is a positive change from PepsiCo's previous quarterly dividend of $1.27. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 7th. This represents a $5.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.08%. PepsiCo's dividend payout ratio is presently 81.50%.

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.

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