Austin Private Wealth LLC Grows Position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Austin Private Wealth LLC raised its holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 19.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,768 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 765 shares during the period. Austin Private Wealth LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $725,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Cross Staff Investments Inc grew its holdings in PepsiCo by 0.9% in the third quarter. Cross Staff Investments Inc now owns 7,080 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,204,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. Paulson Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in PepsiCo by 2.1% in the third quarter. Paulson Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,986 shares of the company’s stock worth $508,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. LCM Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in PepsiCo by 0.8% in the third quarter. LCM Capital Management Inc now owns 7,573 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,288,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the period. Demars Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in PepsiCo by 1.1% in the third quarter. Demars Financial Group LLC now owns 5,721 shares of the company’s stock worth $973,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the period. Finally, Sigma Investment Counselors Inc. grew its holdings in PepsiCo by 1.6% in the third quarter. Sigma Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 4,310 shares of the company’s stock worth $733,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of PepsiCo from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $172.00 price target on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $183.00 to $165.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Redburn Atlantic raised shares of PepsiCo to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on PepsiCo from $184.00 to $178.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, PepsiCo presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $176.73.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

PEP opened at $150.69 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $206.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.23, a PEG ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.54. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 1-year low of $141.51 and a 1-year high of $183.41. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $153.35 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $164.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.70.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 6th were given a $1.355 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 6th. This represents a $5.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.60%. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is currently 79.94%.

About PepsiCo

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.