Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. Has $23.35 Million Stock Holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP

Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. lowered its stake in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 8.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 166,277 shares of the company’s stock after selling 14,744 shares during the quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc.’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $23,352,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in PEP. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 12.4% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 59,392 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,031,000 after acquiring an additional 6,574 shares in the last quarter. Calton & Associates Inc. bought a new position in PepsiCo during the first quarter worth about $202,000. Quarry LP raised its stake in PepsiCo by 378.6% in the 1st quarter. Quarry LP now owns 2,369 shares of the company’s stock valued at $355,000 after acquiring an additional 1,874 shares during the period. First Financial Bankshares Inc boosted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 4.6% during the 1st quarter. First Financial Bankshares Inc now owns 460,696 shares of the company’s stock worth $69,077,000 after buying an additional 20,215 shares during the period. Finally, Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC grew its position in shares of PepsiCo by 4.9% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 85,595 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,834,000 after purchasing an additional 4,019 shares during the last quarter. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

PepsiCo Stock Up 0.3%

PEP stock opened at $144.24 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $147.09 and a 200-day moving average price of $143.59. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 12 month low of $127.60 and a 12 month high of $160.15. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26. The stock has a market capitalization of $197.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.96 and a beta of 0.42.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 8th. The company reported $2.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.26 by $0.03. The business 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 firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.31 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 5th will be paid a $1.4225 dividend. 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%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PEP has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $161.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. DZ Bank raised PepsiCo from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $167.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised PepsiCo from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $151.00 to $164.00 in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. HSBC increased their target price on PepsiCo from $145.00 to $152.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, October 10th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price target on PepsiCo from $150.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 10th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $158.75.

About PepsiCo

PepsiCo, Inc (NASDAQ: PEP) is a multinational food and beverage company headquartered in Purchase, New York. The company develops, manufactures, markets and sells a broad portfolio of branded food and beverage products, including carbonated and noncarbonated soft drinks, bottled water, sports drinks, juices, ready-to-drink teas and coffees, salty snacks, cereals, and other convenient foods. Its leading consumer brands include Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Gatorade, Tropicana, Quaker, Lay’s, Doritos and Cheetos, among others.

Formed through the 1965 merger of Pepsi-Cola and Frito-Lay, PepsiCo has grown into a global business with integrated manufacturing, distribution and marketing operations.