PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) Shares Down 0.5% - Should You Sell?

Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) fell 0.5% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $142.01 and last traded at $142.69. 1,837,594 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 70% from the average session volume of 6,097,626 shares. The stock had previously closed at $143.46.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on PEP. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and set a $163.00 price target on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Barclays downgraded shares of PepsiCo from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $168.00 to $156.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on PepsiCo from $168.00 to $153.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Piper Sandler assumed coverage on PepsiCo in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $171.00 price target for the company. Finally, BNP Paribas dropped their price objective on PepsiCo from $162.00 to $160.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $162.00.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $182.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.49. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $147.70 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $153.79. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.52 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $17.92 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.81 billion. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 58.87% and a net margin of 10.43%. On average, research analysts predict that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th were given a dividend of $1.355 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 7th. This represents a $5.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.06%. PepsiCo's payout ratio is presently 77.99%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On PepsiCo

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in PEP. Collier Financial bought a new stake in PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC bought a new position in PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC acquired a new position in PepsiCo during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. bought a new position in PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.