Morgan Stanley Issues Pessimistic Forecast for PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) Stock Price

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) had its target price cut by stock analysts at Morgan Stanley from $185.00 to $168.00 in a research report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 17.08% from the company’s current price.

A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Evercore ISI cut their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $180.00 to $160.00 in a report on Tuesday. StockNews.com upgraded PepsiCo from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded PepsiCo to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. HSBC cut their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $186.00 to $170.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $184.00 to $178.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $173.53.

PepsiCo Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:PEP opened at $143.49 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $152.86 and its 200 day moving average is $164.71. The company has a quick ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96. PepsiCo has a 52 week low of $141.51 and a 52 week high of $183.41. The stock has a market cap of $196.87 billion, a PE ratio of 21.16, a PEG ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.54.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.02. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 57.32% and a net margin of 10.18%. The company had revenue of $27.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $27.89 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.78 EPS. PepsiCo’s quarterly revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that PepsiCo will post 8.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Kovack Advisors Inc. raised its position in PepsiCo by 8.0% in the 4th quarter. Kovack Advisors Inc. now owns 13,743 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,090,000 after buying an additional 1,015 shares during the last quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. raised its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. now owns 543,069 shares of the company’s stock valued at $82,579,000 after purchasing an additional 11,300 shares during the last quarter. Apriem Advisors boosted its holdings in PepsiCo by 6.7% in the fourth quarter. Apriem Advisors now owns 4,155 shares of the company’s stock worth $632,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares during the last quarter. Lineweaver Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in PepsiCo by 6.2% during the 4th quarter. Lineweaver Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 11,164 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,698,000 after buying an additional 648 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allegiance Financial Group Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter valued at $203,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

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.