PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) Shares Acquired by Evanson Asset Management LLC

Evanson Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 7.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,098 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the quarter. Evanson Asset Management LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $356,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in PEP. DHJJ Financial Advisors Ltd. purchased a new position in PepsiCo during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Pacifica Partners Inc. purchased a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. West Tower Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the second quarter valued at approximately $36,000. VitalStone Financial LLC purchased a new stake in PepsiCo during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $46,000. Finally, Pacific Center for Financial Services purchased a new position in PepsiCo in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $47,000. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

PEP stock traded up $1.44 during trading on Thursday, hitting $175.01. 5,710,410 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,942,093. The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $240.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.53. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $168.10 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $167.99. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 52 week low of $155.83 and a 52 week high of $196.88.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last posted its earnings results on Friday, February 9th. The company reported $1.78 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.72 by $0.06. The company 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%. The business’s revenue was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.67 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.265 per share. This represents a $5.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.89%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 29th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 77.02%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on PEP. StockNews.com cut PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley upgraded PepsiCo from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $190.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, March 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $181.00 to $184.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and set a $195.00 price objective on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $180.00 price objective on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Monday, February 12th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $187.77.

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.