Verus Capital Partners LLC Has $1.34 Million Stock Position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Verus Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 15.9% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 8,128 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,113 shares during the quarter. Verus Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $1,341,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of PEP. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of PepsiCo by 77.5% in 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 during the period. POM Investment Strategies LLC grew its holdings in PepsiCo by 141.3% during the second quarter. POM Investment Strategies LLC now owns 181 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC bought a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the second quarter valued at about $30,000. Fortis Group Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in PepsiCo by 100.0% during the fourth quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC now owns 194 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. bought a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the 1st quarter worth approximately $35,000. 73.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on PEP shares. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on PepsiCo from $210.00 to $200.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 9th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target 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. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $175.00 to $170.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of PepsiCo from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 28th. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $179.00 to $187.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, PepsiCo currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $185.53.

PepsiCo Price Performance

PEP traded up $0.79 on Monday, hitting $172.88. 8,677,300 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,453,207. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $169.92 and its 200-day simple moving average is $170.83. PepsiCo, Inc. has a one year low of $155.83 and a one year high of $183.41. The firm has a market cap of $237.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 0.52. 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 (NASDAQ:PEP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 11th. The company reported $2.28 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.16 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $22.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.59 billion. PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.34% and a return on equity of 57.37%. PepsiCo’s quarterly revenue was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.09 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.15 EPS for the current year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

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 given a dividend of $1.355 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 6th. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.14%. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 78.66%.

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.