PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) Stock Price Up 0.9% – Here’s Why

PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) was up 0.9% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $150.26 and last traded at $150.40. Approximately 1,356,390 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 80% from the average daily volume of 6,721,867 shares. The stock had previously closed at $149.10.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on PEP shares. BNP Paribas cut their target price on PepsiCo from $162.00 to $160.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on PepsiCo from $184.00 to $178.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on PepsiCo from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on PepsiCo from $183.00 to $165.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on PepsiCo from $185.00 to $168.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $171.47.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

The business has a 50 day moving average of $148.75 and a 200 day moving average of $162.39. The company has a market capitalization of $211.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $27.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $27.89 billion. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 58.87% and a net margin of 10.43%. The firm’s revenue was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.78 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.31 earnings per share for the current year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a $1.355 dividend. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is 77.99%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of PEP. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in PepsiCo by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 133,371,504 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,280,471,000 after acquiring an additional 1,376,133 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 5.1% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 57,268,030 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,738,429,000 after purchasing an additional 2,775,679 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in 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 period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in PepsiCo by 18.1% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,729,565,000. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.