PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) Shares Acquired by Merit Financial Group LLC

Merit Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 16.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 65,699 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,104 shares during the quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $9,990,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of PEP. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates lifted its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 59.0% during the third quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 159 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the period. Cross Staff Investments Inc lifted its position in PepsiCo by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Cross Staff Investments Inc now owns 7,080 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,204,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the period. Paulson Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 2.1% in the third quarter. Paulson Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,986 shares of the company’s stock valued at $508,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. LCM Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 0.8% during the third quarter. LCM Capital Management Inc now owns 7,573 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,288,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the period. Finally, Demars Financial Group LLC boosted its position in PepsiCo by 1.1% in the third quarter. Demars Financial Group LLC now owns 5,721 shares of the company’s stock valued at $973,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

PepsiCo Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ PEP opened at $148.25 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a current ratio of 0.89. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $155.37 and a 200 day moving average of $165.82. The firm has a market cap of $203.40 billion, a PE ratio of 21.87, a PEG ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.54. PepsiCo, Inc. has a one year low of $141.51 and a one year high of $183.41.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 6th. Investors of record on Friday, December 6th were given a dividend of $1.355 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 6th. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.66%. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 79.94%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on PEP. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $170.00 to $155.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of PepsiCo from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $185.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Hsbc Global Res raised PepsiCo to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on PepsiCo from $177.00 to $176.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 4th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their target price on PepsiCo from $193.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $178.60.

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.