PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) Shares Sold by Gratus Wealth Advisors LLC

Gratus Wealth Advisors LLC reduced its stake in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 6.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 5,047 shares of the company’s stock after selling 334 shares during the period. Gratus Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $844,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in PEP. Meixler Investment Management Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 4.4% in the second quarter. Meixler Investment Management Ltd. now owns 1,383 shares of the company’s stock valued at $228,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. Opes Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in PepsiCo by 2.2% in the 2nd quarter. Opes Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,748 shares of the company’s stock valued at $453,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the period. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates raised its position in PepsiCo by 59.0% during the 3rd quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 159 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Stockton lifted its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of Stockton now owns 2,716 shares of the company’s stock worth $448,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the period. Finally, Oxbow Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 0.7% in the second quarter. Oxbow Advisors LLC now owns 8,982 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,481,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on PEP shares. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $187.00 to $186.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 4th. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on PepsiCo in a report on Monday, June 24th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $174.00 price target for the company. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on PepsiCo from $177.00 to $176.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 4th. Bank of America reduced their target price on PepsiCo from $190.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, September 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $175.00 to $170.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, PepsiCo presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $185.29.

PepsiCo Stock Up 1.9 %

PEP stock opened at $170.42 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $173.68 and its 200-day simple moving average is $172.07. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 12 month low of $157.43 and a 12 month high of $183.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $234.29 billion, a PE ratio of 24.73, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.53.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 8th. The company reported $2.31 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.30 by $0.01. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 57.37% and a net margin of 10.34%. The company had revenue of $23.32 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.86 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.25 earnings per share. PepsiCo’s revenue was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 6th were paid a dividend of $1.355 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 6th. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.18%. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is currently 78.66%.

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.