Bell Asset Management Ltd Raises Holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Bell Asset Management Ltd lifted its holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 33.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 85,218 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 21,544 shares during the period. PepsiCo makes up approximately 2.4% of Bell Asset Management Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest position. Bell Asset Management Ltd’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $12,958,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in PEP. Tcfg Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Tcfg Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,938 shares of the company’s stock valued at $295,000 after buying an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Lincoln Capital LLC raised its holdings in PepsiCo by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Lincoln Capital LLC now owns 16,808 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,556,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the period. Marshall Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of PepsiCo by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Marshall Financial Group LLC now owns 3,128 shares of the company’s stock valued at $476,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Osprey Private Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Osprey Private Wealth LLC now owns 15,060 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,290,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the period. Finally, TAGStone Capital Inc. grew its position in shares of PepsiCo by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. TAGStone Capital Inc. now owns 2,527 shares of the company’s stock worth $388,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

PepsiCo Stock Down 3.1 %

Shares of PEP opened at $146.61 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05. The business has a fifty day moving average of $149.33 and a 200 day moving average of $156.94. The company has a market cap of $201.05 billion, a PE ratio of 21.09, a P/E/G ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.49. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 52-week low of $141.51 and a 52-week high of $183.41.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $27.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $27.89 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.78 EPS. The business’s revenue was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th were issued a dividend of $1.355 per share. This represents a $5.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 7th. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is currently 77.99%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on PEP. CICC Research restated a “market perform” rating on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Royal Bank of Canada initiated coverage on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. They set a $172.00 target price for the company. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $180.00 to $160.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. BNP Paribas dropped their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $162.00 to $160.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on PepsiCo from $185.00 to $168.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, PepsiCo has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $169.88.

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.