PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) have received an average rating of “Hold” from the twenty-two brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, thirteen have given a hold recommendation and eight have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $158.50.

PEP has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price on PepsiCo from $146.00 to $145.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, September 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised PepsiCo from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $151.00 to $164.00 in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Wall Street Zen upgraded PepsiCo from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded shares of PepsiCo from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $167.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Claris Advisors LLC MO boosted its holdings in PepsiCo by 14.1% in the second quarter. Claris Advisors LLC MO now owns 2,490 shares of the company’s stock worth $329,000 after acquiring an additional 308 shares in the last quarter. Foster Group Inc. raised its position in shares of PepsiCo by 4.6% during the second quarter. Foster Group Inc. now owns 5,169 shares of the company’s stock worth $683,000 after purchasing an additional 229 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 46.4% in the 2nd quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 114,344 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,098,000 after purchasing an additional 36,239 shares in the last quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. grew its position in PepsiCo by 2.5% in the 2nd quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 25,309 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,342,000 after purchasing an additional 620 shares during the period. Finally, Naples Global Advisors LLC increased its stake in PepsiCo by 2.3% during the 2nd quarter. Naples Global Advisors LLC now owns 26,270 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,469,000 after purchasing an additional 592 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

PepsiCo Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of PEP stock opened at $150.37 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $205.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.22 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.72. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $147.72 and a 200 day moving average price of $142.64. PepsiCo has a one year low of $127.60 and a one year high of $160.15.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last announced 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. PepsiCo had a net margin of 7.82% and a return on equity of 57.58%. The company had revenue of $23.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $23.91 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.31 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that PepsiCo will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 5th will be given a $1.4225 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 5th. This represents a $5.69 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.8%. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is 108.17%.

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.