WESPAC Advisors SoCal LLC Trims Stock Position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

WESPAC Advisors SoCal LLC decreased its position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 1.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 30,411 shares of the company’s stock after selling 542 shares during the period. PepsiCo accounts for about 1.4% of WESPAC Advisors SoCal LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest position. WESPAC Advisors SoCal LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $5,322,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of PEP. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of PepsiCo by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 19,001,928 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,227,287,000 after purchasing an additional 578,083 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth $2,686,139,000. California Public Employees Retirement System boosted its position in PepsiCo by 17.9% during the 4th quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 9,664,323 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,641,389,000 after acquiring an additional 1,470,064 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 17.7% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 8,954,951 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,520,909,000 after acquiring an additional 1,345,065 shares during the period. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in shares of PepsiCo by 15.1% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 8,421,163 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,430,250,000 after acquiring an additional 1,105,127 shares in the last quarter. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

Shares of PEP opened at $163.04 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a current ratio of 0.86. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $173.37 and a two-hundred day moving average of $170.30. The stock has a market cap of $224.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.52. PepsiCo, Inc. has a one year low of $155.83 and a one year high of $192.38.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.61 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.52 by $0.09. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 57.37% and a net margin of 10.00%. The firm had revenue of $18.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.08 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.50 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.16 EPS for the current year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Friday, June 7th were issued a dividend of $1.355 per share. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.32%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 7th. This is a boost from PepsiCo’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.27. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 81.50%.

Insider Activity at PepsiCo

In other news, CEO Ramkumar Krishnan sold 5,620 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.00, for a total value of $1,000,360.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 53,953 shares in the company, valued at $9,603,634. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PEP has been the topic of several analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on PepsiCo from $209.00 to $211.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $181.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 26th. Argus cut shares of PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Barclays cut their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $185.00 to $180.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, June 12th. Finally, BNP Paribas started coverage on PepsiCo in a report on Monday, June 24th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $174.00 price objective for the company. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $186.38.

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.