Mediolanum International Funds Ltd Raises Holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Mediolanum International Funds Ltd raised its stake in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 0.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 126,816 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 722 shares during the quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $19,193,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PEP has been the topic of several analyst reports. Redburn Atlantic upgraded PepsiCo to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on PepsiCo from $184.00 to $178.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $170.00 to $155.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of PepsiCo to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $172.00 price target on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Wednesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, PepsiCo has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $176.73.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ PEP opened at $151.90 on Friday. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 12-month low of $141.51 and a 12-month high of $183.41. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96. The company has a market cap of $208.41 billion, a PE ratio of 22.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.54. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $153.51 and a 200-day simple moving average of $165.07.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 6th. Investors of record on Friday, December 6th were issued a dividend of $1.355 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 6th. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.57%. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is 79.94%.

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.