PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) Stock Price Up 1.8% - Still a Buy?

Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) were up 1.8% on Friday . The stock traded as high as $130.48 and last traded at $130.49. Approximately 3,155,181 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 54% from the average daily volume of 6,875,741 shares. The stock had previously closed at $128.22.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Evercore ISI set a $140.00 price objective on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on PepsiCo from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Barclays reduced their target price on PepsiCo from $143.00 to $135.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 28th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $168.00 to $153.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Dbs Bank lowered shares of PepsiCo from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $159.75.

PepsiCo Trading Up 0.8%

The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.13. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $131.83 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $142.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $181.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.77 and a beta of 0.46.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.49 by ($0.01). PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.24% and a return on equity of 58.28%. The company had revenue of $17.92 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.81 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.61 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On PepsiCo

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. AG2R LA Mondiale Gestion D Actifs bought a new position in PepsiCo during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $10,168,000. Swedbank AB boosted its stake in PepsiCo by 0.7% during the first quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 1,989,564 shares of the company's stock worth $298,315,000 after acquiring an additional 14,205 shares in the last quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 1.1% during the first quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 519,889 shares of the company's stock valued at $77,952,000 after purchasing an additional 5,849 shares in the last quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 18.4% during the first quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc. now owns 90,846 shares of the company's stock valued at $13,621,000 after purchasing an additional 14,124 shares during the last quarter. Finally, eCIO Inc. bought a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the 1st quarter worth approximately $139,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.07% of the company's stock.

PepsiCo Company Profile

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.