Smart Portfolios LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Smart Portfolios LLC reduced its position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 2.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,138 shares of the company’s stock after selling 95 shares during the quarter. Smart Portfolios LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $477,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Collier Financial bought a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its holdings in PepsiCo by 93.2% during the third quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 199 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the period. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in PepsiCo in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. CICC Research reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Friday, February 7th. Royal Bank of Canada initiated coverage on PepsiCo in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. They issued a $172.00 target price on the stock. BNP Paribas reduced their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $162.00 to $160.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on PepsiCo from $183.00 to $165.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Evercore ISI decreased their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $180.00 to $160.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $172.35.

PepsiCo Trading Down 2.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ PEP opened at $152.33 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $148.90 and its 200 day simple moving average is $160.46. PepsiCo, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $141.51 and a fifty-two week high of $183.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $208.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.92, a P/E/G ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.65.

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

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a dividend of $1.355 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.56%. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is 77.99%.

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.