Northern Trust Corp Raises Holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Northern Trust Corp raised its position in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Free Report) by 8.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,403,395 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,306,818 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp owned approximately 1.20% of PepsiCo worth $2,494,300,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Collier Financial purchased a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in PepsiCo in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Summit Securities Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Institutional investors own 73.07% of the company's stock.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:PEP traded up $1.27 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $135.58. 7,908,387 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,191,004. PepsiCo, Inc. has a one year low of $131.52 and a one year high of $183.41. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $147.16 and a 200 day moving average of $153.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.82. The company has a market cap of $185.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.51, a P/E/G ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.49.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.49 by ($0.01). PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.43% and a return on equity of 58.87%. The firm had revenue of $17.92 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.81 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.61 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th were paid a $1.355 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 7th. This represents a $5.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.00%. PepsiCo's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 79.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of PepsiCo from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and cut their price target for the stock from $171.00 to $170.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target 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. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on PepsiCo from $168.00 to $153.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 25th. HSBC dropped their price target on PepsiCo from $186.00 to $170.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $143.00 to $135.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, PepsiCo presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $160.69.

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.