Vest Financial LLC Has $51.48 Million Holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Vest Financial LLC raised its stake in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 14.8% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 338,573 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 43,536 shares during the quarter. Vest Financial LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $51,483,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in PEP. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in PepsiCo in the third quarter valued at $31,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 93.2% in the 3rd quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 199 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the period. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, ORG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in PepsiCo during the third quarter worth $44,000. Institutional investors own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

PepsiCo Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of PepsiCo stock opened at $144.58 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $151.80 and a 200-day moving average price of $164.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.70. The firm has a market cap of $198.29 billion, a PE ratio of 20.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.54. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 1 year low of $141.51 and a 1 year high of $183.41.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.02. PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.43% and a return on equity of 58.87%. The business had revenue of $27.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $27.89 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.78 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.34 EPS for the current year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be given a $1.355 dividend. This represents a $5.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is currently 77.99%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. StockNews.com lowered PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on PepsiCo from $183.00 to $165.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 24th. HSBC reduced their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $186.00 to $170.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $183.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $193.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $171.47.

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.