Rockingstone Advisors LLC Purchases 183 Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Rockingstone Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 3.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 6,349 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 183 shares during the quarter. Rockingstone Advisors LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $952,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in PEP. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Collier Financial bought a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. bought a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on PEP. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $143.00 to $135.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $168.00 to $153.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 25th. Dbs Bank lowered shares of PepsiCo from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $175.00 to $169.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $163.00 target price on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, PepsiCo presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $160.69.

PepsiCo Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of PEP opened at $131.83 on Wednesday. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 12 month low of $127.75 and a 12 month high of $180.91. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $135.37 and its 200-day moving average is $145.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $180.75 billion, a PE ratio of 18.97, a P/E/G ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.45. 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 earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.49 by ($0.01). PepsiCo had a return on equity of 58.87% and a net margin of 10.43%. The business had revenue of $17.92 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.81 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.61 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 6th will be issued a dividend of $1.4225 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 6th. This is a boost from PepsiCo’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.36. This represents a $5.69 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.32%. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.