PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) Shares Sold by Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA cut its holdings in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 4.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,954,952 shares of the company’s stock after selling 428,669 shares during the quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA owned 0.73% of PepsiCo worth $1,513,750,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of PEP. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Collier Financial purchased a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC acquired a new stake in PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in PepsiCo during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

PepsiCo Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ PEP opened at $149.67 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $205.27 billion, a PE ratio of 21.54, a P/E/G ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.52. 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, Inc. has a 12-month low of $141.51 and a 12-month high of $183.41. The company has a 50-day moving average of $149.30 and a 200 day moving average of $157.52.

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

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th were given a dividend of $1.355 per share. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.62%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 7th. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is currently 77.99%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. CICC Research reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Friday, February 7th. HSBC cut their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $186.00 to $170.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Citigroup dropped their target price on PepsiCo from $195.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. BNP Paribas reduced their price target on PepsiCo from $162.00 to $160.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on PepsiCo from $185.00 to $168.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, PepsiCo has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $169.88.

PepsiCo Profile

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.