Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC Has $16.82 Million Position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 8.6% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 110,581 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,731 shares during the quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $16,815,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in PepsiCo during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its stake in PepsiCo by 93.2% during the third quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 199 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, ORG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $44,000. Institutional investors own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:PEP opened at $144.58 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $151.42 and its 200 day simple moving average is $164.10. PepsiCo, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $141.51 and a fifty-two week high of $183.41. The company has a market capitalization of $198.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.70.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.02. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 58.87% and a net margin of 10.43%. The firm had revenue of $27.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $27.89 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.78 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.34 earnings per share for the current year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be issued a dividend of $1.355 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.75%. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 77.99%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PEP has been the subject of several research analyst reports. HSBC cut their price objective on PepsiCo from $186.00 to $170.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $180.00 to $160.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. BNP Paribas lowered their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $162.00 to $160.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $184.00 to $178.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, PepsiCo has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $171.47.

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.