Ameritas Advisory Services LLC Boosts Position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Ameritas Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 15,648 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 255 shares during the quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $2,581,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PEP. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 77.5% during the 1st quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 158 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. POM Investment Strategies LLC raised its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 141.3% in the second 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 last quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the second quarter valued at $30,000. Fortis Group Advisors LLC increased its position in PepsiCo by 100.0% during the 4th quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC now owns 194 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. acquired a new position in PepsiCo in the 1st quarter valued at about $35,000. 73.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

PepsiCo Stock Down 1.1 %

PepsiCo stock traded down $1.83 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $172.09. 4,654,092 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,433,889. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $169.70 and its 200-day moving average price is $170.77. The company has a market cap of $236.59 billion, a PE ratio of 24.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.64. PepsiCo, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $155.83 and a fifty-two week high of $183.41.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 11th. The company reported $2.28 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.16 by $0.12. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 57.37% and a net margin of 10.34%. The firm had revenue of $22.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.59 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.09 EPS. PepsiCo’s revenue for the quarter was up .8% 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 Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 6th will be issued a $1.355 dividend. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.15%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 6th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is currently 78.66%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. DZ Bank downgraded shares of PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $183.00 price target for the company. in a report on Friday, July 19th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on PepsiCo from $190.00 to $185.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 12th. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on PepsiCo from $200.00 to $190.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on PepsiCo from $184.00 to $182.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 12th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded PepsiCo from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, PepsiCo currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $185.53.

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.