WFA Asset Management Corp Sells 304 Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

WFA Asset Management Corp decreased its holdings in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 12.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,149 shares of the company’s stock after selling 304 shares during the quarter. WFA Asset Management Corp’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $365,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in PepsiCo by 95,514.1% in the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 42,876,248 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,746,023,000 after buying an additional 42,831,405 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley boosted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 21.0% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 26,720,027 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,827,240,000 after acquiring an additional 4,629,947 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 5.3% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 18,423,845 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,121,736,000 after purchasing an additional 920,032 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 3.7% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 16,878,022 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,859,812,000 after acquiring an additional 595,357 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in PepsiCo in the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,519,707,000. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

Shares of PEP stock traded up $1.86 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $174.13. 6,636,697 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,502,704. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $168.68 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $167.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a current ratio of 0.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $239.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.50, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.53. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 52 week low of $155.83 and a 52 week high of $196.88.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last announced its earnings results on Friday, February 9th. The company reported $1.78 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 firm’s quarterly revenue was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.67 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate 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 was paid on Monday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 1st were paid a $1.265 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $5.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.91%. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 77.02%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $180.00 price target on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Argus lowered shares of PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. StockNews.com downgraded PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Citigroup upgraded PepsiCo from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $180.00 to $195.00 in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Finally, Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and set a $195.00 price objective on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $186.92.

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.