Verum Partners LLC Sells 154 Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Verum Partners LLC lessened its holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 10.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,341 shares of the company’s stock after selling 154 shares during the quarter. Verum Partners LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $228,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. DHJJ Financial Advisors Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Pacifica Partners Inc. acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. West Tower Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the second quarter worth $36,000. VitalStone Financial LLC bought a new stake in PepsiCo in the 2nd quarter valued at $46,000. Finally, Pacific Center for Financial Services acquired a new position in PepsiCo in the 1st quarter worth $47,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:PEP traded up $0.84 on Wednesday, reaching $173.57. 4,595,362 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,942,858. The company has a fifty day moving average of $167.96 and a 200-day moving average of $167.95. The company has a market capitalization of $238.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.42, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.53. PepsiCo, Inc. has a twelve month low of $155.83 and a twelve 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, beating the consensus estimate of $1.72 by $0.06. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 58.03% and a net margin of 9.92%. The firm had revenue of $27.84 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $28.40 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.67 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 29th. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is presently 77.02%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on PEP. Citigroup raised PepsiCo from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $180.00 to $195.00 in a research report on Monday, February 12th. Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $195.00 price target on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Friday, February 9th. 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 report on Monday, March 18th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $179.00 to $183.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 13th. Finally, StockNews.com cut PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 12th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $187.77.

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.