J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. Reduces Stake in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. lowered its holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 3.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 23,197 shares of the company’s stock after selling 874 shares during the quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc.’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $3,527,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Collier Financial purchased a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 93.2% in the third quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 199 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on PEP. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on PepsiCo from $183.00 to $165.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on PepsiCo from $180.00 to $160.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on PepsiCo from $183.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on PepsiCo from $185.00 to $168.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, CICC Research reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Friday, February 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $171.47.

PepsiCo Price Performance

PEP opened at $143.39 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $149.80 and a 200-day moving average of $163.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $196.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.63, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.54. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 12-month low of $141.51 and a 12-month high of $183.41. The company has a quick ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $27.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $27.89 billion. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 58.87% and a net margin of 10.43%. PepsiCo’s quarterly revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.78 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors 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 yield of 3.78%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 77.99%.

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.