PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) Sets New 12-Month Low – What’s Next?

Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) hit a new 52-week low on Friday . The company traded as low as $149.56 and last traded at $149.65, with a volume of 5213163 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $150.21.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on PEP. StockNews.com upgraded PepsiCo from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $186.00 to $183.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of PepsiCo to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on PepsiCo from $177.00 to $176.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on PepsiCo from $185.00 to $183.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, PepsiCo currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $184.31.

PepsiCo Price Performance

The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $159.51 and a 200-day simple moving average of $167.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $205.32 billion, a PE ratio of 22.07, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.70.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 8th. The company reported $2.31 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.30 by $0.01. PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.18% and a return on equity of 57.32%. The business had revenue of $23.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $23.86 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.25 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.15 earnings per share for the current year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 6th will be paid a $1.355 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 6th. This represents a $5.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.62%. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 79.94%.

Institutional Trading of PepsiCo

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Denver PWM LLC purchased a new position in PepsiCo in the second quarter worth about $44,000. New York Life Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 1.0% in the second quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 210,182 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,665,000 after acquiring an additional 2,120 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 187,472 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,920,000 after acquiring an additional 4,137 shares during the last quarter. North Star Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in PepsiCo by 6.6% during the 2nd quarter. North Star Asset Management Inc. now owns 57,503 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,484,000 after purchasing an additional 3,550 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Candriam S.C.A. raised its position in PepsiCo by 5.0% in the 2nd quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 411,944 shares of the company’s stock worth $67,939,000 after purchasing an additional 19,772 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

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.