PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP Shares Purchased by Regal Investment Advisors LLC

Regal Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 28.2% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 27,201 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 5,986 shares during the period. Regal Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $3,820,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. JCIC Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in PepsiCo during the second quarter worth about $27,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its holdings in PepsiCo by 107.1% in the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 234 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares during the last quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 667.7% in the 3rd quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC now owns 238 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 207 shares during the period. Finally, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PepsiCo Stock Up 0.6%

NASDAQ:PEP opened at $159.88 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $156.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $149.68. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 52 week low of $127.60 and a 52 week high of $171.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $218.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 0.39.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 2nd. The company reported $2.26 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.24 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $29.34 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $28.96 billion. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 57.92% and a net margin of 8.77%.The company’s revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.96 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a $1.4225 dividend. This represents a $5.69 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is currently 94.83%.

PepsiCo declared that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, February 3rd that allows the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to buy up to 4.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on PEP shares. HSBC lifted their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $152.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Argus raised PepsiCo to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on PepsiCo from $164.00 to $176.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. BNP Paribas Exane reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on PepsiCo from $163.00 to $164.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, PepsiCo has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $169.00.

PepsiCo Company Profile

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.