PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) Raised to Buy at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report released on Monday.

PEP has been the topic of several other research reports. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $190.00 to $185.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 12th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on PepsiCo from $210.00 to $200.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th. Bank of America lowered their target price on PepsiCo from $210.00 to $190.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on PepsiCo from $184.00 to $182.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $175.00 to $170.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, PepsiCo currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $185.53.

PepsiCo Trading Down 0.7 %

NASDAQ PEP opened at $172.52 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87. PepsiCo has a 1-year low of $155.83 and a 1-year high of $183.41. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $168.05 and its 200-day simple moving average is $170.49. The company has a market capitalization of $236.97 billion, a PE ratio of 25.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.52.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 11th. The company reported $2.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.16 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $22.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.59 billion. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 57.37% and a net margin of 10.34%. The firm’s revenue was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.09 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that PepsiCo will post 8.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 6th will be paid a $1.355 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 6th. This represents a $5.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.14%. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 78.66%.

Institutional Trading of PepsiCo

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of PEP. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 77.5% in the 1st quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 158 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. POM Investment Strategies LLC grew its holdings in PepsiCo by 141.3% during the 2nd quarter. POM Investment Strategies LLC now owns 181 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the period. Summit Securities Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. Fortis Group Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 100.0% in the 4th quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC now owns 194 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Finally, Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. bought a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the 1st quarter worth $35,000. 73.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About PepsiCo

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.