Salomon & Ludwin LLC Has $574,000 Stock Holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Salomon & Ludwin LLC lessened its stake in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 14.7% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 3,777 shares of the company’s stock after selling 651 shares during the quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $574,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PEP. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in PepsiCo in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Collier Financial acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its stake 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 purchasing an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

PepsiCo Price Performance

Shares of PEP stock opened at $143.39 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $150.09 and a two-hundred day moving average of $163.41. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 12 month low of $141.51 and a 12 month high of $183.41. The company has a market capitalization of $196.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.54.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.02. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 58.87% and a net margin of 10.43%. The company had revenue of $27.78 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $27.89 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.78 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.34 EPS for the current year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $5.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.78%. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is currently 77.99%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PEP has been the topic of several analyst reports. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $158.00 to $153.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $180.00 to $160.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Royal Bank of Canada began coverage on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. They set a $172.00 price target on the stock. Citigroup decreased their price objective 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. Finally, HSBC cut their target price 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $171.47.

PepsiCo 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.