PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) Sets New 52-Week Low - Here's What Happened

PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report)'s stock price reached a new 52-week low during trading on Saturday . The stock traded as low as $127.75 and last traded at $129.34, with a volume of 8116528 shares. The stock had previously closed at $130.12.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on PEP. HSBC reduced their price objective on PepsiCo from $186.00 to $170.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. UBS Group cut 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. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on PepsiCo from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of PepsiCo from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, CICC Research reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Friday, February 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $160.69.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $180.15 billion, a PE ratio of 18.90, a P/E/G ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.47. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $138.84 and a two-hundred day moving average of $147.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.65.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.48 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 business had revenue of $17.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.81 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.61 earnings per share. PepsiCo's revenue was down 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, June 6th will be given a dividend of $1.4225 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 6th. This is an increase from PepsiCo's previous quarterly dividend of $1.36. This represents a $5.69 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.33%. PepsiCo's dividend payout ratio is 83.68%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On PepsiCo

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in PepsiCo during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Collier Financial bought a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Elite Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.