Ballast Advisors LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Ballast Advisors LLC decreased its position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 20.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 5,907 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,501 shares during the period. Ballast Advisors LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $898,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

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

PepsiCo Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of PEP opened at $147.15 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 12 month low of $141.51 and a 12 month high of $183.41. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $148.98 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $159.41. The company has a market capitalization of $201.82 billion, a PE ratio of 21.17, a PEG ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.52.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $27.78 billion for 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 company’s quarterly revenue was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.78 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be given a $1.355 dividend. This represents a $5.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.68%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is currently 77.99%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on PEP. Citigroup reduced their target price on PepsiCo from $195.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. StockNews.com cut PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Royal Bank of Canada started coverage on PepsiCo in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. They set a $172.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their target price on PepsiCo from $184.00 to $178.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, PepsiCo presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $169.88.

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.