Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC Buys 580 Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC lifted its stake in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 1.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 41,376 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 580 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $6,349,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Collier Financial bought a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in PepsiCo during the third quarter worth $31,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its stake in PepsiCo by 93.2% during the third quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 199 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC bought a new stake in PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

NASDAQ PEP opened at $154.61 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $148.77 and a 200 day simple moving average of $161.10. PepsiCo, Inc. has a twelve month low of $141.51 and a twelve month high of $183.41. The company has a market capitalization of $212.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.25, a PEG ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.52.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.02. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 58.87% and a net margin of 10.43%. The firm had revenue of $27.78 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $27.89 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.78 EPS. The business’s revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be issued a dividend of $1.355 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $5.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.51%. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is currently 77.99%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on PEP. Evercore ISI cut their target price on PepsiCo from $180.00 to $160.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Piper Sandler began coverage on PepsiCo in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $171.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com cut PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on PepsiCo from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on PepsiCo from $183.00 to $165.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $172.35.

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.