WealthPlan Investment Management LLC Sells 4,831 Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

WealthPlan Investment Management LLC cut its holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 6.2% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 73,072 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,831 shares during the quarter. PepsiCo makes up about 1.1% of WealthPlan Investment Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $11,111,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of PEP. Cross Staff Investments Inc lifted its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Cross Staff Investments Inc now owns 7,080 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,204,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. Paulson Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in shares of PepsiCo by 2.1% in the third quarter. Paulson Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,986 shares of the company’s stock worth $508,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the period. LCM Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. LCM Capital Management Inc now owns 7,573 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,288,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Demars Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Demars Financial Group LLC now owns 5,721 shares of the company’s stock valued at $973,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sigma Investment Counselors Inc. raised its holdings in PepsiCo by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Sigma Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 4,310 shares of the company’s stock worth $733,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

PepsiCo stock opened at $143.39 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $196.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.70. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $150.09 and a 200-day simple moving average of $163.41. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 1-year low of $141.51 and a 1-year high of $183.41.

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

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The business 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 dividend of $1.355 per share. This represents a $5.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.78%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is presently 77.99%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PEP has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Citigroup reduced their target price on PepsiCo from $195.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $158.00 to $153.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. StockNews.com lowered shares of PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, TD Cowen reduced their target price on PepsiCo from $183.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average 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.