PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) Shares Purchased by Candriam S.C.A.

Candriam S.C.A. increased its holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 2.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 438,129 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,910 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $66,622,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of PepsiCo by 5.1% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 57,268,030 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,738,429,000 after buying an additional 2,775,679 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in PepsiCo by 1.8% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 30,497,268 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,170,529,000 after purchasing an additional 543,558 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in PepsiCo by 18.1% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 25,217,043 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,834,504,000 after purchasing an additional 3,856,193 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in PepsiCo by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 14,013,158 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,130,841,000 after purchasing an additional 689,383 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in PepsiCo by 21.1% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 13,021,316 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,293,049,000 after purchasing an additional 2,264,445 shares during the period. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

NASDAQ PEP opened at $153.88 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 52-week low of $141.51 and a 52-week high of $183.41. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $148.73 and its 200 day moving average price is $161.14. The firm has a market cap of $211.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.14, a P/E/G ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.52.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.02. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 58.87% and a net margin of 10.43%. The company had revenue of $27.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $27.89 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.78 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current year.

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a dividend of $1.355 per share. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.52%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 77.99%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on PEP. CICC Research reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com lowered PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. BNP Paribas decreased their target price on PepsiCo from $162.00 to $160.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on PepsiCo from $184.00 to $178.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, TD Cowen cut their price target on PepsiCo from $183.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $171.47.

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.