PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) Shares Bought by Welch Group LLC

Welch Group LLC raised its stake in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 0.9% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 315,840 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,729 shares during the period. PepsiCo makes up 2.2% of Welch Group LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. Welch Group LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $47,919,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 5.1% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 57,268,030 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,738,429,000 after buying an additional 2,775,679 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 30,497,268 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,170,529,000 after buying an additional 543,558 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in PepsiCo by 5.6% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 21,360,850 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,632,413,000 after purchasing an additional 1,125,059 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 21.1% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 13,021,316 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,293,049,000 after acquiring an additional 2,264,445 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in PepsiCo by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 12,098,551 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,057,359,000 after acquiring an additional 313,468 shares during the last quarter. 73.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

PepsiCo Price Performance

PEP stock opened at $150.27 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $153.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $164.85. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 12 month low of $141.51 and a 12 month high of $183.41. The stock has a market cap of $206.17 billion, a PE ratio of 22.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.54.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.95 by $0.01. PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.18% and a return on equity of 57.32%. 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 6th were issued a $1.355 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 6th. This represents a $5.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.61%. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is 79.94%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on PEP. Redburn Atlantic raised PepsiCo to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on PepsiCo from $183.00 to $165.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 24th. StockNews.com raised shares of PepsiCo from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $172.00 price objective on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on PepsiCo from $170.00 to $155.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $176.73.

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.