Jefferies Financial Group Cuts PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) Price Target to $200.00

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) had its price target lowered by Jefferies Financial Group from $210.00 to $200.00 in a research note released on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. Jefferies Financial Group currently has a buy rating on the stock.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on PEP. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $185.00 to $180.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, June 12th. TD Cowen lowered their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $200.00 to $190.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 3rd. Bank of America lowered their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $210.00 to $190.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Monday. Argus lowered shares of PepsiCo from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $181.00 to $184.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Wednesday, June 26th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, PepsiCo presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $186.00.

PepsiCo Price Performance

PepsiCo stock opened at $163.95 on Tuesday. PepsiCo has a 52-week low of $155.83 and a 52-week high of $192.38. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $171.12 and a 200-day moving average of $169.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $225.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.65, a PEG ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 11th. The company reported $2.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.16 by $0.12. PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.00% and a return on equity of 57.37%. The company had revenue of $22.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.59 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.09 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that PepsiCo will post 8.15 EPS for the current year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 7th were given a $1.355 dividend. This is an increase from PepsiCo’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.27. This represents a $5.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 7th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 81.50%.

Insider Transactions at PepsiCo

In other news, CEO Ramkumar Krishnan sold 5,620 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.00, for a total value of $1,000,360.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 53,953 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,603,634. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.15% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of PepsiCo

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA lifted its position in PepsiCo by 80.5% in the 4th quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA now owns 157 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in PepsiCo by 77.5% in the 1st quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 158 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC lifted its position in PepsiCo by 100.0% in the 4th quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC now owns 194 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Life Planning Partners Inc acquired a new position in PepsiCo during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. acquired a new position in PepsiCo during the 1st quarter valued at about $35,000. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.