GenTrust LLC Buys New Holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

GenTrust LLC acquired a new position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 1,388 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $245,000.

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

PepsiCo Stock Performance

PEP stock opened at $163.24 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $224.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.45, a P/E/G ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.52. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $172.37 and its 200 day simple moving average is $170.13. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 12-month low of $155.83 and a 12-month high of $192.38.

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

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on PEP shares. Morgan Stanley upgraded PepsiCo from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $190.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, March 18th. Argus downgraded shares of PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $195.00 price objective on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on PepsiCo from $181.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 26th. Finally, BNP Paribas assumed coverage on PepsiCo in a research note on Monday, June 24th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $174.00 price objective for the company. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $186.64.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Ramkumar Krishnan sold 5,620 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.00, for a total transaction of $1,000,360.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 53,953 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,603,634. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.14% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.