Kennedy Capital Management LLC Makes New $4.34 Million Investment in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Kennedy Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 24,810 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,342,000.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 8.5% during the first quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 128,627 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,511,000 after acquiring an additional 10,025 shares in the last quarter. BTG Pactual Global Asset Management Ltd purchased a new position in PepsiCo in the first quarter worth $818,000. Blackstone Inc. purchased a new position in PepsiCo in the first quarter worth $63,004,000. Waverly Advisors LLC grew its holdings in PepsiCo by 70.4% in the first quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC now owns 42,543 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,445,000 after purchasing an additional 17,573 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kinloch Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 7.4% during the first quarter. Kinloch Capital LLC now owns 20,332 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,558,000 after buying an additional 1,402 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Ramkumar Krishnan sold 5,620 shares of PepsiCo stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.00, for a total transaction of $1,000,360.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 53,953 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,603,634. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.15% of the company’s stock.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

NASDAQ PEP traded down $0.03 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $173.18. 4,669,757 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,513,709. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 12-month low of $155.83 and a 12-month high of $189.97. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87. The company has a market cap of $237.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 0.52. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $168.58 and a 200 day moving average of $169.94.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 11th. The company reported $2.28 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.16 by $0.12. PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.34% and a return on equity of 57.37%. The business had revenue of $22.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.59 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.09 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.15 earnings per share for the current year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 6th will be paid a $1.355 dividend. This represents a $5.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.13%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 6th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is presently 78.66%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on PEP shares. BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Monday, June 24th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $174.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on PepsiCo from $180.00 to $177.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 12th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on PepsiCo from $210.00 to $200.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 9th. DZ Bank lowered shares of PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $183.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $175.00 to $170.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $185.53.

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.