19,619 Shares in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) Purchased by Sapient Capital LLC

Sapient Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm acquired 19,619 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,357,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA raised its holdings in PepsiCo by 80.5% during the fourth quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA now owns 157 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Life Planning Partners Inc purchased a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Naples Money Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Avion Wealth raised its position in PepsiCo by 61.7% in the fourth quarter. Avion Wealth now owns 241 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PepsiCo Stock Up 0.4 %

PEP stock traded up $0.70 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $176.15. 3,492,120 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,328,097. The company has a market capitalization of $242.17 billion, a PE ratio of 26.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.52. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $170.01 and a 200 day simple moving average of $168.26. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96. PepsiCo, Inc. has a twelve month low of $155.83 and a twelve month high of $196.88.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.61 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.52 by $0.09. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 57.37% and a net margin of 10.00%. The company had revenue of $18.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.08 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.50 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 7th will be issued a dividend of $1.355 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 7th. This is a positive change from PepsiCo’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.27. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.08%. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is 81.50%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PEP has been the topic of a number of research reports. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $180.00 price target on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Monday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $178.00 to $181.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $199.00 to $209.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Citigroup raised shares of PepsiCo from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $180.00 to $195.00 in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Finally, Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and set a $195.00 price target on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, PepsiCo has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $187.42.

PepsiCo Company 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.