PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) Trading Down 0.9% After Analyst Downgrade

Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) dropped 0.9% during mid-day trading on Thursday after StockNews.com downgraded the stock from a buy rating to a hold rating. The stock traded as low as $144.01 and last traded at $144.33. Approximately 1,433,024 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 79% from the average daily volume of 6,747,307 shares. The stock had previously closed at $145.66.

PEP has been the topic of several other reports. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $195.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $158.00 to $153.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of PepsiCo to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $193.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, PepsiCo presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $171.47.

Institutional Trading of PepsiCo

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of PepsiCo by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 213,908 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,527,000 after buying an additional 7,959 shares in the last quarter. Windle Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of PepsiCo by 9.1% in the 4th quarter. Windle Wealth LLC now owns 41,942 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,378,000 after buying an additional 3,484 shares in the last quarter. Natural Investments LLC acquired a new position in PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,003,000. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new position in PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth approximately $69,000. Finally, GC Wealth Management RIA LLC increased its position in PepsiCo by 23.3% during the 4th quarter. GC Wealth Management RIA LLC now owns 16,312 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,480,000 after purchasing an additional 3,084 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

The stock’s 50-day moving average is $151.80 and its 200-day moving average is $164.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $198.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.32, a PEG ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $27.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $27.89 billion. PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.18% and a return on equity of 57.32%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.78 EPS. On average, analysts predict that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be given a $1.355 dividend. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 77.99%.

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.