Tufton Capital Management Sells 170 Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Tufton Capital Management lessened its position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 0.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 34,911 shares of the company’s stock after selling 170 shares during the period. Tufton Capital Management’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $5,929,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of PEP. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA boosted its holdings in PepsiCo by 80.5% in the 4th quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA now owns 157 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Life Planning Partners Inc bought a new position in PepsiCo in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Avion Wealth grew its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 61.7% in the fourth quarter. Avion Wealth now owns 241 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Pacific Center for Financial Services bought a new stake in PepsiCo in the first quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Finally, Financial Connections Group Inc. bought a new position in PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth $44,000. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:PEP traded up $1.25 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $170.73. The company had a trading volume of 1,509,766 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,667,988. The stock has a market cap of $234.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 52-week low of $155.83 and a 52-week high of $196.88. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $168.58 and its 200 day moving average price is $167.38.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 9th. The company reported $1.78 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.72 by $0.06. PepsiCo had a net margin of 9.92% and a return on equity of 58.03%. The company had revenue of $27.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $28.40 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.67 EPS. PepsiCo’s revenue was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 1st were paid a $1.265 dividend. This represents a $5.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is currently 77.02%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PEP has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $180.00 target price on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Monday, February 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $181.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Citigroup raised PepsiCo from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $180.00 to $195.00 in a research report on Monday, February 12th. Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $195.00 price target on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 12th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $186.92.

PepsiCo 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.