Axxcess Wealth Management LLC Buys 284,706 Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP

Axxcess Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 409.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 354,280 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 284,706 shares during the period. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $50,845,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of PEP. MH & Associates Securities Management Corp ADV bought a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Imprint Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the third quarter worth about $31,000. Strategic Advocates LLC bought a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the third quarter worth about $33,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Highline Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 56.3% during the fourth quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 250 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. 73.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on PEP shares. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. HSBC boosted their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $175.00 to $176.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. BNP Paribas Exane boosted their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $191.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Evercore boosted their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $165.00 to $170.00 in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $190.00 to $186.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, PepsiCo currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $170.11.

PepsiCo Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:PEP opened at $148.85 on Friday. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 52 week low of $127.60 and a 52 week high of $171.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.90. The company has a market capitalization of $203.44 billion, a PE ratio of 23.37, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $154.36 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $152.47.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The company reported $1.61 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.55 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $19.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.89 billion. PepsiCo had a net margin of 9.15% and a return on equity of 56.61%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.48 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.63 earnings per share for the current year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 5th will be issued a $1.48 dividend. This represents a $5.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.0%. This is a boost from PepsiCo’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.42. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 5th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is currently 89.32%.

PepsiCo declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, February 3rd that authorizes the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 4.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Key Headlines Impacting PepsiCo

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo and Varun Beverages extended their exclusive bottling agreement in India through 2049, giving PepsiCo greater distribution stability and more flexibility to grow in a key international market.
• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo announced new growth initiatives in Asia-Pacific and a regenerated agriculture partnership with LDC, both of which support the company’s sustainability efforts and supply-chain resilience.
• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo continues to push product innovation, including a new functional ready-to-drink tea, which may help offset slowing demand in some core snack categories.
• Neutral Sentiment: PepsiCo India plans to invest about Rs 5,700 crore by 2030 to expand capacity, a sign of confidence in demand but also a longer-term capital commitment.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary and recent features suggest PepsiCo still has a credible growth story thanks to pricing power, distribution scale, and expansion into better-for-you products, but these articles do not point to a near-term earnings surprise.
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that PepsiCo is raising prices on smaller chip bags highlight rising costs in the business and could increase consumer pushback, potentially pressuring volume growth.
• Negative Sentiment: Cost inflation remains a concern, and the need for selective price increases suggests PepsiCo is still facing margin pressure in its U.S. snack business.

PepsiCo Profile

PepsiCo, Inc (NASDAQ: PEP) is a multinational food and beverage company headquartered in Purchase, New York. The company develops, manufactures, markets and sells a broad portfolio of branded food and beverage products, including carbonated and noncarbonated soft drinks, bottled water, sports drinks, juices, ready-to-drink teas and coffees, salty snacks, cereals, and other convenient foods. Its leading consumer brands include Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Gatorade, Tropicana, Quaker, Lay’s, Doritos and Cheetos, among others.

Formed through the 1965 merger of Pepsi-Cola and Frito-Lay, PepsiCo has grown into a global business with integrated manufacturing, distribution and marketing operations.