PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) have been given an average rating of “Hold” by the twenty ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $170.59.

A number of research analysts have issued reports on PEP shares. Barclays raised their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $153.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $183.00 to $165.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 24th. HSBC decreased their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $186.00 to $170.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Evercore ISI decreased their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $180.00 to $160.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $195.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th.

PepsiCo Price Performance

NASDAQ PEP opened at $148.59 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.82. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $148.76 and its 200-day moving average price is $159.89. PepsiCo has a 52-week low of $141.51 and a 52-week high of $183.41. The company has a market cap of $203.79 billion, a PE ratio of 21.38, a P/E/G ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.52.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last announced 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. The company had revenue of $27.78 billion during 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%. PepsiCo’s revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.78 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that PepsiCo will post 8.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be issued a $1.355 dividend. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is 77.99%.

Institutional Trading of PepsiCo

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of PEP. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Collier Financial purchased a new position in PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in PepsiCo during the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC purchased a new position in PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.