NorthRock Partners LLC Buys 21,284 Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

NorthRock Partners LLC increased its holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Free Report) by 252.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 29,715 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 21,284 shares during the quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC's holdings in PepsiCo were worth $4,518,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Collier Financial acquired a new position in PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC acquired a new position in PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. acquired a new position in PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Institutional investors own 73.07% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $175.00 to $169.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. Bank of America dropped their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $155.00 to $150.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of PepsiCo from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $171.00 to $170.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $184.00 to $178.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $160.69.

PepsiCo Stock Up 0.4%

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 6,371,459. 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 stock has a market cap of $180.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.47. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 1 year low of $127.87 and a 1 year high of $182.96. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $141.78 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $149.90.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.49 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $17.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $17.81 billion. PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.43% and a return on equity of 58.87%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.61 EPS. Analysts predict that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 6th will be given a dividend of $1.4225 per share. This is an increase from PepsiCo's previous quarterly dividend of $1.36. This represents a $5.69 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 6th. PepsiCo's dividend payout ratio is currently 83.68%.

About PepsiCo

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.