PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) Shares Sold by Van Strum & Towne Inc.

Van Strum & Towne Inc. lessened its stake in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 0.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 41,061 shares of the company’s stock after selling 172 shares during the period. PepsiCo makes up about 2.7% of Van Strum & Towne Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest position. Van Strum & Towne Inc.’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $6,974,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of PEP. DHJJ Financial Advisors Ltd. purchased a new stake in PepsiCo in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Pacifica Partners Inc. bought a new stake in PepsiCo in the third quarter valued at $27,000. West Tower Group LLC bought a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the second quarter valued at $36,000. VitalStone Financial LLC bought a new stake in PepsiCo during the second quarter worth about $46,000. Finally, Pacific Center for Financial Services acquired a new stake in PepsiCo during the 1st quarter valued at $47,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

PepsiCo Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ:PEP traded up $1.44 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $175.01. 5,710,539 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,548,546. The stock has a market cap of $240.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.53. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $168.26 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $168.04. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 12-month low of $155.83 and a 12-month high of $196.88. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last posted its earnings results on Friday, February 9th. The company reported $1.78 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.72 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $27.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $28.40 billion. PepsiCo had a net margin of 9.92% and a return on equity of 58.03%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.67 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.15 earnings per share for the current year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PEP has been the subject of several research reports. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $180.00 target price on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Monday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered shares of PepsiCo from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $185.00 to $176.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 19th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of PepsiCo from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $190.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $181.00 to $184.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, PepsiCo currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $187.77.

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.