Weaver Consulting Group Increases Stock Holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Weaver Consulting Group lifted its position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 5.0% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 2,732 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 131 shares during the period. Weaver Consulting Group’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $478,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of PEP. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA boosted its stake in PepsiCo by 80.5% during the fourth quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA now owns 157 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the period. Fortis Group Advisors LLC boosted its stake in PepsiCo by 100.0% during the fourth quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC now owns 194 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the period. Life Planning Partners Inc purchased a new position in PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Naples Money Management LLC purchased a new position in PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Criterion Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

PepsiCo Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ:PEP opened at $164.93 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $173.37 and its 200 day moving average price is $170.31. The stock has a market cap of $226.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.52. PepsiCo, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $155.83 and a fifty-two week high of $192.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.61 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.52 by $0.09. PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.00% and a return on equity of 57.37%. The firm had revenue of $18.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.08 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.50 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 7th were issued a dividend of $1.355 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 7th. This represents a $5.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.29%. This is a boost from PepsiCo’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.27. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 81.50%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other PepsiCo news, CEO Ramkumar Krishnan sold 5,620 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.00, for a total transaction of $1,000,360.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 53,953 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,603,634. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.15% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on PEP. Morgan Stanley raised shares of PepsiCo from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $190.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, March 18th. BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Monday, June 24th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $174.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $181.00 to $184.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Argus lowered shares of PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $195.00 price objective on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, PepsiCo has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $186.38.

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.