Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund Purchases 13,641 Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund raised its stake in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 33.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 54,309 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 13,641 shares during the period. PepsiCo makes up 0.7% of Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $8,258,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cross Staff Investments Inc boosted its position in shares of PepsiCo by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Cross Staff Investments Inc now owns 7,080 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,204,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Paulson Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in shares of PepsiCo by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Paulson Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,986 shares of the company’s stock worth $508,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. LCM Capital Management Inc increased its stake in PepsiCo by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. LCM Capital Management Inc now owns 7,573 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,288,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Demars Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Demars Financial Group LLC now owns 5,721 shares of the company’s stock valued at $973,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sigma Investment Counselors Inc. raised its position in PepsiCo by 1.6% during the third quarter. Sigma Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 4,310 shares of the company’s stock worth $733,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

PepsiCo Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ:PEP opened at $143.39 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 12 month low of $141.51 and a 12 month high of $183.41. The firm has a market cap of $196.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.54. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $149.80 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $163.06.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.02. PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.43% and a return on equity of 58.87%. The company had revenue of $27.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $27.89 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.78 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be issued a dividend of $1.355 per share. This represents a $5.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is presently 77.99%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PEP has been the topic of several analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada initiated coverage on PepsiCo in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. They set a $172.00 price target on the stock. TD Cowen reduced their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $183.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $195.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on PepsiCo from $185.00 to $168.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price objective on PepsiCo from $193.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $171.47.

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.