PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) have received an average rating of “Hold” from the twenty-two brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, fourteen have assigned a hold recommendation and seven have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $156.90.

A number of analysts recently commented on PEP shares. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $165.00 to $167.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 10th. Rothschild & Co Redburn boosted their target price on PepsiCo from $115.00 to $117.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, October 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on PepsiCo from $146.00 to $145.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, September 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on PepsiCo from $157.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 6th. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered their target price on PepsiCo from $162.00 to $161.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:PEP opened at $146.33 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $145.37 and its 200 day simple moving average is $140.46. PepsiCo has a fifty-two week low of $127.60 and a fifty-two week high of $165.13. The company has a market capitalization of $200.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.82, a P/E/G ratio of 3.56 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.72.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 8th. The company reported $2.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.26 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $23.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $23.91 billion. PepsiCo had a net margin of 7.82% and a return on equity of 57.58%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.31 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that PepsiCo will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 5th will be given a dividend of $1.4225 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 5th. This represents a $5.69 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.9%. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is currently 108.17%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On PepsiCo

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC boosted its holdings in PepsiCo by 1,763.3% during the third quarter. Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC now owns 64,787 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,099,000 after purchasing an additional 61,310 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. acquired a new stake in PepsiCo in the 3rd quarter valued at $78,558,000. Blue Fin Capital Inc. lifted its position in PepsiCo by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Fin Capital Inc. now owns 11,069 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,555,000 after buying an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. Achmea Investment Management B.V. boosted its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 24.5% during the 3rd quarter. Achmea Investment Management B.V. now owns 41,812 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,873,000 after buying an additional 8,219 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oarsman Capital Inc. grew its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Oarsman Capital Inc. now owns 12,432 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,746,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. 73.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.