PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) Shares Sold by Saratoga Research & Investment Management

Saratoga Research & Investment Management decreased its holdings in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 6.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 164,944 shares of the company’s stock after selling 10,439 shares during the period. PepsiCo makes up approximately 1.3% of Saratoga Research & Investment Management’s holdings, making the stock its 25th largest position. Saratoga Research & Investment Management’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $25,081,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PEP. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 133,371,504 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,280,471,000 after acquiring an additional 1,376,133 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in PepsiCo by 5.1% in the third 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 during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in PepsiCo by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 30,497,268 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,170,529,000 after purchasing an additional 543,558 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 18.1% during 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 buying an additional 3,856,193 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,729,565,000. 73.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PepsiCo Price Performance

NASDAQ:PEP opened at $149.27 on Monday. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 12-month low of $141.51 and a 12-month high of $183.41. The firm has a market cap of $204.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.52. The company’s 50-day moving average is $149.25 and its two-hundred day moving average is $157.91. 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 (NASDAQ:PEP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $27.78 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $27.89 billion. PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.43% and a return on equity of 58.87%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.78 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on PepsiCo from $184.00 to $178.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Barclays cut shares of PepsiCo from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $168.00 to $156.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. BNP Paribas reduced their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $162.00 to $160.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. StockNews.com lowered shares of PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Evercore ISI reduced their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $180.00 to $160.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target 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.