Avalon Capital Management Trims Stake in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Avalon Capital Management lowered its stake in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 31.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,108 shares of the company’s stock after selling 950 shares during the quarter. Avalon Capital Management’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $321,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in PepsiCo in the third quarter worth about $28,000. Collier Financial purchased a new stake in PepsiCo in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC purchased a new stake in PepsiCo in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in PepsiCo in the third quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 93.2% in the third quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 199 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on PEP shares. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $184.00 to $178.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $195.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, BNP Paribas reduced their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $162.00 to $160.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $171.47.

PepsiCo Price Performance

PepsiCo stock opened at $153.85 on Tuesday. 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, Inc. has a 52-week low of $141.51 and a 52-week high of $183.41. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $148.61 and its 200 day moving average is $161.98. The company has a market cap of $211.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.14, a PEG ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.54.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $27.89 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.78 EPS. PepsiCo’s revenue was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The company 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 dividend of $1.355 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $5.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.52%. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is 77.99%.

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.