PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) Shares Purchased by First Trust Direct Indexing L.P.

First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. boosted its holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 18.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 41,959 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 6,579 shares during the quarter. PepsiCo accounts for about 0.6% of First Trust Direct Indexing L.P.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest position. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P.’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $7,126,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA grew its position in PepsiCo by 80.5% during the 4th quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA now owns 157 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Life Planning Partners Inc purchased a new position in PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Naples Money Management LLC purchased a new position in PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Avion Wealth grew its position in PepsiCo by 61.7% during the 4th quarter. Avion Wealth now owns 241 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

PepsiCo stock traded down $0.76 on Wednesday, reaching $175.15. 4,339,790 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,789,368. The stock has a market cap of $240.79 billion, a PE ratio of 26.33, a PEG ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96. PepsiCo, Inc. has a twelve month low of $155.83 and a twelve month high of $196.88. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $169.74 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $168.16.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.52 by $0.09. PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.00% and a return on equity of 57.37%. The company had revenue of $18.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.08 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.50 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.16 EPS for the current year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 7th will be issued a dividend of $1.355 per share. This is an increase from PepsiCo’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.27. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.09%. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is presently 76.09%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PEP has been the topic of several research analyst reports. StockNews.com cut shares of PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating 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 target on the stock in a report on Monday, March 18th. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and set a $195.00 price target on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $199.00 to $209.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 5th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $181.00 to $184.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $187.42.

PepsiCo 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.