Erste Asset Management GmbH Increases Stock Position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Erste Asset Management GmbH lifted its holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 22.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 173,080 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 31,768 shares during the period. Erste Asset Management GmbH’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $26,371,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of PEP. Collier Financial bought a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 93.2% during the 3rd quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 199 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ PEP opened at $148.17 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $148.82 and its 200 day moving average price is $160.37. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 1 year low of $141.51 and a 1 year high of $183.41. The company has a market capitalization of $203.22 billion, a PE ratio of 21.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.82.

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

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.66%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is 77.99%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price target for the company from $171.00 to $170.00 in a research note on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $183.00 to $165.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 24th. BNP Paribas dropped their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $162.00 to $160.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $193.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $170.59.

About PepsiCo

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.