Guardian Partners Inc. Takes $12.87 Million Position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Guardian Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 87,833 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,871,000. PepsiCo makes up about 1.3% of Guardian Partners Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd biggest position.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Collier Financial acquired a new position in PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Human Investing LLC acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. 73.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on PEP shares. Barclays cut PepsiCo from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $168.00 to $156.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on PepsiCo from $184.00 to $178.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Piper Sandler began coverage on PepsiCo in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $171.00 target price for the company. BNP Paribas reduced their target price on PepsiCo from $162.00 to $160.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, TD Cowen reduced their target price on PepsiCo from $183.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, PepsiCo currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $169.88.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

Shares of PEP stock opened at $145.45 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $199.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.52. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $149.04 and a 200-day simple moving average of $159.09. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 12-month low of $141.51 and a 12-month high of $183.41. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $27.78 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $27.89 billion. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 58.87% and a net margin of 10.43%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.78 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th will be issued a $1.355 dividend. This represents a $5.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is currently 77.99%.

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.