WBI Investments LLC Acquires 1,284 Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

WBI Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 31.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,309 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,284 shares during the period. WBI Investments LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $807,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Tallon Kerry Patrick bought a new position in PepsiCo in the fourth quarter worth approximately $224,000. Brady Martz Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new position in PepsiCo in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,645,000. Grove Bank & Trust boosted its holdings in PepsiCo by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 7,527 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,145,000 after acquiring an additional 157 shares in the last quarter. Successful Portfolios LLC boosted its holdings in PepsiCo by 6.7% in the fourth quarter. Successful Portfolios LLC now owns 4,393 shares of the company’s stock worth $668,000 after acquiring an additional 275 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ellsworth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in PepsiCo by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Ellsworth Advisors LLC now owns 13,324 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,026,000 after acquiring an additional 399 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

PepsiCo Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ PEP opened at $131.79 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $180.69 billion, a PE ratio of 18.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.47. PepsiCo, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $127.87 and a fifty-two week high of $182.13. 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 stock has a fifty day moving average of $141.05 and a 200-day moving average of $149.19.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.49 by ($0.01). PepsiCo had a return on equity of 58.87% and a net margin of 10.43%. The business had revenue of $17.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.81 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.61 earnings per share. PepsiCo’s quarterly revenue was down 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, June 6th will be given a dividend of $1.4225 per share. This represents a $5.69 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.32%. This is a boost from PepsiCo’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.36. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 6th. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is presently 83.68%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on PEP shares. StockNews.com lowered PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Bank of America dropped their target price on PepsiCo from $155.00 to $150.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. Barclays dropped their target price on PepsiCo from $143.00 to $135.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 28th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on PepsiCo from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Dbs Bank lowered PepsiCo from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, PepsiCo has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $160.69.

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.