Pictet Asset Management Holding SA Acquires 87,727 Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA lifted its stake in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 11.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 844,711 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 87,727 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA owned about 0.06% of PepsiCo worth $128,447,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PEP. Collier Financial bought a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC purchased a new position in PepsiCo during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Human Investing LLC purchased a new position in PepsiCo during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Institutional investors own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

PepsiCo Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ PEP opened at $149.27 on Friday. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 52 week low of $141.51 and a 52 week high of $183.41. 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 cap of $204.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.48, a P/E/G ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.52. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $149.25 and its 200 day moving average price is $158.17.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.02. PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.43% and a return on equity of 58.87%. The firm had revenue of $27.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $27.89 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.78 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th will be issued a dividend of $1.355 per share. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 77.99%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on PEP. UBS Group dropped their target price on PepsiCo from $193.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $171.00 to $170.00 in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target 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. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $195.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $180.00 to $160.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $169.88.

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.