E Fund Management Co. Ltd. Has $7.92 Million Holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

E Fund Management Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 69.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 52,812 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 21,612 shares during the period. E Fund Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $7,919,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 3.6% in the 1st quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 630,906 shares of the company’s stock valued at $94,598,000 after purchasing an additional 21,859 shares during the period. Ignite Planners LLC lifted its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 4.2% during the first quarter. Ignite Planners LLC now owns 3,773 shares of the company’s stock valued at $566,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares during the period. Ossiam boosted its holdings in PepsiCo by 138.9% in the fourth quarter. Ossiam now owns 73,604 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,192,000 after acquiring an additional 42,793 shares during the last quarter. Graybill Wealth Management LTD. acquired a new stake in PepsiCo in the first quarter worth about $3,633,000. Finally, OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp raised its holdings in PepsiCo by 12.1% during the 4th quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp now owns 124,797 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,977,000 after purchasing an additional 13,461 shares during the last quarter. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

PepsiCo Trading Up 1.4%

Shares of PepsiCo stock opened at $146.87 on Wednesday. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 52-week low of $127.60 and a 52-week high of $179.73. The stock has a market cap of $201.08 billion, a PE ratio of 26.75, a PEG ratio of 3.86 and a beta of 0.45. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $136.29 and a 200-day moving average of $140.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.12, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.78.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 17th. The company reported $2.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.03 by $0.09. PepsiCo had a net margin of 8.23% and a return on equity of 57.81%. The firm had revenue of $22.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.28 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.28 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 5th will be issued a dividend of $1.4225 per share. This represents a $5.69 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 5th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is 103.64%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on PEP. Citigroup upped their price objective on PepsiCo from $160.00 to $168.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. Cowen restated a “hold” rating on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Thursday, July 17th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on PepsiCo from $153.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, July 18th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $148.00 price target on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $158.73.

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.