PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) Position Lessened by Vista Investment Management

Vista Investment Management decreased its stake in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 5.2% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 11,599 shares of the company’s stock after selling 641 shares during the period. Vista Investment Management’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $1,764,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 133,371,504 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,280,471,000 after purchasing an additional 1,376,133 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 31,079,522 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,717,069,000 after purchasing an additional 582,254 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 18.1% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 25,217,043 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,834,504,000 after purchasing an additional 3,856,193 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,729,565,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 8.7% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 16,403,395 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,494,300,000 after purchasing an additional 1,306,818 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Dbs Bank downgraded PepsiCo from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $163.00 target price on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Barclays cut their target price on PepsiCo from $143.00 to $135.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Bank of America cut their target price on PepsiCo from $155.00 to $150.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, BNP Paribas cut their target price on PepsiCo from $162.00 to $160.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $160.69.

PepsiCo Stock Down 0.1%

PEP opened at $131.79 on Tuesday. PepsiCo, Inc. has a one year low of $127.87 and a one year 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’s fifty day moving average is $141.05 and its 200-day moving average is $149.19. The company has a market capitalization of $180.69 billion, a PE ratio of 18.96, a P/E/G ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.47.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last announced its earnings results 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). The company had revenue of $17.92 billion for 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 firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.61 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 6th will be given a dividend of $1.4225 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 6th. 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 dividend yield of 4.32%. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is 83.68%.

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.