Guardian Investment Management Reduces Holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Guardian Investment Management trimmed its position in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 3.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,080 shares of the company’s stock after selling 380 shares during the quarter. PepsiCo accounts for approximately 1.4% of Guardian Investment Management’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest position. Guardian Investment Management’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $1,712,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in PEP. Cerity Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 59.4% in the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 993,567 shares of the company’s stock valued at $168,747,000 after acquiring an additional 370,122 shares in the last quarter. Harbour Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in PepsiCo by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Harbour Capital Advisors LLC now owns 27,446 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,747,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Meadow Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in PepsiCo in the fourth quarter worth about $405,000. Manchester Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in PepsiCo by 1.4% in the third quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 13,240 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,243,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC raised its holdings in PepsiCo by 34.5% in the fourth quarter. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC now owns 12,317 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,091,000 after purchasing an additional 3,159 shares in the last quarter. 73.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

NASDAQ PEP traded up $2.28 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $171.76. The stock had a trading volume of 2,549,999 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,681,042. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $168.58 and a 200 day moving average of $167.38. The stock has a market cap of $236.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.53. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 52-week low of $155.83 and a 52-week high of $196.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a current ratio of 0.85.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last issued its earnings results on Friday, February 9th. The company reported $1.78 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.72 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $27.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.40 billion. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 58.03% and a net margin of 9.92%. PepsiCo’s revenue for the quarter was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.67 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.15 earnings per share for the current year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 1st were given a $1.265 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $5.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.95%. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is presently 77.02%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on PEP. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $180.00 target price on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Monday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of PepsiCo from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $190.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Monday, March 18th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 12th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $183.00 to $184.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Finally, Argus downgraded shares of PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $186.92.

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.