PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) Trading Down 2.9% - Here's What Happened

PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report)'s stock price fell 2.9% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $151.66 and last traded at $151.87. 2,394,674 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 66% from the average session volume of 6,942,130 shares. The stock had previously closed at $156.42.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on PEP. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on PepsiCo from $185.00 to $168.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. UBS Group decreased their price target on PepsiCo from $193.00 to $175.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on PepsiCo from $184.00 to $178.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Evercore ISI decreased their price target on PepsiCo from $180.00 to $160.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded PepsiCo from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $171.47.

PepsiCo Trading Up 1.0 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $210.48 billion, a PE ratio of 22.08, a P/E/G ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.54. 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 firm has a fifty day moving average of $148.59 and a 200 day moving average of $161.53.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.02. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 58.87% and a net margin of 10.43%. The business had revenue of $27.78 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $27.89 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.78 EPS. The company's revenue was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a dividend of $1.355 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $5.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.53%. PepsiCo's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 77.99%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On PepsiCo

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Collier Financial acquired a new stake in PepsiCo during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in PepsiCo during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. 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.