National Pension Service Purchases 41,018 Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

National Pension Service raised its position in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Free Report) by 2.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,110,314 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 41,018 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service owned 0.15% of PepsiCo worth $358,416,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of PEP. Amplius Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of PepsiCo by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Amplius Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,241 shares of the company's stock worth $381,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the period. Darwin Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 2.7% during the third quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,345 shares of the company's stock valued at $397,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,420 shares of the company's stock valued at $411,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. SYM FINANCIAL Corp grew its holdings in PepsiCo by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. SYM FINANCIAL Corp now owns 2,290 shares of the company's stock valued at $389,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Investment Counsel Inc lifted its holdings in PepsiCo by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Capital Investment Counsel Inc now owns 4,116 shares of the company's stock worth $699,000 after buying an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.07% of the company's stock.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

NASDAQ:PEP traded up $0.65 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $178.06. The stock had a trading volume of 2,420,528 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,631,914. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $170.49 and a 200-day simple moving average of $168.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $244.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.72, a P/E/G ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.52. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 52 week low of $155.83 and a 52 week high of $196.88.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $18.08 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.50 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Friday, June 7th will be paid a dividend of $1.355 per share. This is a boost from PepsiCo's previous quarterly dividend of $1.27. This represents a $5.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.04%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 7th. PepsiCo's payout ratio is currently 81.50%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. 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 report on Wednesday, April 24th. Morgan Stanley upgraded PepsiCo from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $190.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, March 18th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $184.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Wedbush restated an "outperform" rating and set a $195.00 price objective on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. Finally, StockNews.com lowered PepsiCo from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, February 12th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, PepsiCo currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $187.42.

PepsiCo 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.