Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. Has $7.35 Million Holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 5.3% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 48,990 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,458 shares during the quarter. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $7,346,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. purchased a new position in PepsiCo in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Summit Securities Group LLC purchased a new stake in PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. 73.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on PEP shares. Citigroup reduced their target price on PepsiCo from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 25th. Evercore ISI set a $140.00 target price on PepsiCo in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on PepsiCo from $158.00 to $159.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Barclays dropped their price target on PepsiCo from $143.00 to $135.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Dbs Bank downgraded shares of PepsiCo from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, PepsiCo has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $160.69.

PepsiCo Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:PEP opened at $129.90 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $135.04 and its 200 day moving average is $145.63. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 52 week low of $127.75 and a 52 week high of $180.91. The stock has a market cap of $178.10 billion, a PE ratio of 18.69, a PEG ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.45.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by ($0.01). PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.43% and a return on equity of 58.87%. The company had revenue of $17.92 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.81 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.61 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, June 6th will be paid a $1.4225 dividend. This represents a $5.69 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.38%. This is an increase from PepsiCo’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.36. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 6th. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is presently 83.68%.

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.