PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) Trading Up 1.7% - Still a Buy?

Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) shot up 1.7% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $130.64 and last traded at $130.69. 2,033,526 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 68% from the average session volume of 6,327,025 shares. The stock had previously closed at $128.45.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PEP has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on PepsiCo from $168.00 to $153.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. UBS Group lowered their target price on PepsiCo from $175.00 to $169.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on PepsiCo from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Dbs Bank cut PepsiCo from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, PepsiCo currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $160.69.

PepsiCo Stock Up 1.8%

The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $179.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.82, a P/E/G ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.47. The company's 50 day moving average price is $142.28 and its 200 day moving average price is $150.16.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.49 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $17.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.81 billion. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 58.87% and a net margin of 10.43%. The company's revenue was down 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.61 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 6th will be issued a dividend of $1.4225 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 6th. This represents a $5.69 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.35%. This is an increase from PepsiCo's previous quarterly dividend of $1.36. PepsiCo's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 83.68%.

Institutional Trading of PepsiCo

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Collier Financial acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Elite Financial Inc. acquired a new position in PepsiCo in the 1st quarter worth $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC acquired a new stake in PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.

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