PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Morgan Stanley Analyst Says

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) had its price objective increased by analysts at Morgan Stanley from $153.00 to $165.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an "equal weight" rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley's price objective would indicate a potential upside of 15.19% from the company's previous close.

Several other brokerages have also issued reports on PEP. UBS Group dropped their price target on PepsiCo from $175.00 to $169.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $150.00 to $139.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Cowen reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Thursday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company restated an "equal weight" rating on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Thursday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, PepsiCo currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $159.50.

PepsiCo Price Performance

Shares of PEP traded down $2.20 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $143.24. 13,738,009 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,231,960. PepsiCo has a 12 month low of $127.60 and a 12 month high of $180.91. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.12. The stock has a market cap of $196.39 billion, a PE ratio of 26.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.45 and a beta of 0.45. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $131.97 and its 200-day simple moving average is $141.24.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 17th. The company reported $2.12 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.03 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $22.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $22.28 billion. PepsiCo had a net margin of 8.23% and a return on equity of 57.81%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.28 EPS. Equities analysts expect that PepsiCo will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On PepsiCo

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Nova Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Elite Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the first quarter valued at about $28,000. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in PepsiCo in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in PepsiCo in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.07% of the company's stock.

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.