PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) Shares Bought by Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC

Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC raised its holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 13.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,492 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 639 shares during the period. Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $835,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Cross Staff Investments Inc raised its holdings in PepsiCo by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Cross Staff Investments Inc now owns 7,080 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,204,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the period. Paulson Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. LCM Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 0.8% during the third quarter. LCM Capital Management Inc now owns 7,573 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,288,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the period. Demars Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in PepsiCo by 1.1% in the 3rd 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 position in PepsiCo by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Sigma Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 4,310 shares of the company’s stock worth $733,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on PEP shares. Barclays decreased their target price on PepsiCo from $158.00 to $153.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on PepsiCo from $184.00 to $178.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $195.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $180.00 to $160.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada assumed coverage on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. They issued a $172.00 target price for the company. One equities 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, PepsiCo currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $171.47.

PepsiCo Stock Up 3.0 %

Shares of PEP stock opened at $153.50 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $148.75 and its 200 day simple moving average is $162.39. PepsiCo, Inc. has a twelve month low of $141.51 and a twelve month high of $183.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.82. The company has a market capitalization of $210.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.09, a PEG ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.54.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.02. PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.43% and a return on equity of 58.87%. The company had revenue of $27.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $27.89 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.78 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.31 EPS for the current year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be given a $1.355 dividend. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is currently 77.99%.

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.