TCW Group Inc. Increases Stake in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

TCW Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 18.4% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 470,596 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 73,083 shares during the period. TCW Group Inc.’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $71,559,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Collier Financial purchased a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 93.2% during the 3rd quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 199 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the period. Finally, Creative Capital Management Investments LLC purchased a new position in PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

PEP stock opened at $153.50 on Friday. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $210.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.09, a PEG ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.54. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 1 year low of $141.51 and a 1 year high of $183.41. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $148.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is $162.18.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.02. PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.43% and a return on equity of 58.87%. The business had revenue of $27.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $27.89 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.78 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a dividend of $1.355 per share. This represents a $5.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.53%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is currently 77.99%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on PEP. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $185.00 to $168.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. 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 research report on Tuesday, February 4th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Evercore ISI decreased their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $180.00 to $160.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $171.47.

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.