Lafayette Investments Inc. Boosts Stake in PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP

Lafayette Investments Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 1.7% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 48,616 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 811 shares during the quarter. PepsiCo accounts for 1.3% of Lafayette Investments Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Lafayette Investments Inc.’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $6,419,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Claris Advisors LLC MO grew its stake in PepsiCo by 14.1% in the second quarter. Claris Advisors LLC MO now owns 2,490 shares of the company’s stock worth $329,000 after purchasing an additional 308 shares in the last quarter. Foster Group Inc. grew its position in shares of PepsiCo by 4.6% in the 2nd quarter. Foster Group Inc. now owns 5,169 shares of the company’s stock worth $683,000 after acquiring an additional 229 shares in the last quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 3.6% in the 1st quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 630,906 shares of the company’s stock valued at $94,598,000 after acquiring an additional 21,859 shares during the last quarter. Ignite Planners LLC lifted its stake in PepsiCo by 4.2% during the first quarter. Ignite Planners LLC now owns 3,773 shares of the company’s stock worth $566,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Merit Financial Group LLC increased its stake in PepsiCo by 46.4% during the second quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 114,344 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,098,000 after purchasing an additional 36,239 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

Shares of PEP opened at $153.64 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $210.08 billion, a PE ratio of 29.21, a P/E/G ratio of 3.74 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $145.69 and a 200 day moving average price of $139.29. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 52-week low of $127.60 and a 52-week high of $177.50.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 9th. The company reported $2.29 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.26 by $0.03. PepsiCo had a net margin of 7.82% and a return on equity of 57.58%. The company had revenue of $23.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.91 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.31 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. PepsiCo has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.120-8.120 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 5th were given a dividend of $1.4225 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 5th. This represents a $5.69 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.7%. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 108.17%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PEP has been the subject of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $157.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. Barclays increased their price target on PepsiCo from $140.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $165.00 to $167.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $153.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, July 18th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $156.00.

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.