Dean Investment Associates LLC Reduces Position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Dean Investment Associates LLC decreased its position in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Free Report) by 5.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 48,344 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,565 shares during the period. PepsiCo accounts for about 1.0% of Dean Investment Associates LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest position. Dean Investment Associates LLC's holdings in PepsiCo were worth $7,351,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Howard Capital Management Group LLC boosted its position in shares of PepsiCo by 2.0% during the third quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 4,568 shares of the company's stock worth $777,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Morse Asset Management Inc purchased a new stake in PepsiCo in the 3rd quarter worth $996,000. Invst LLC boosted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 4.6% during the 3rd quarter. Invst LLC now owns 3,003 shares of the company's stock valued at $511,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the third quarter worth about $1,611,000. Finally, Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd lifted its position in shares of PepsiCo by 3.4% in the third quarter. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd now owns 16,624 shares of the company's stock worth $2,811,000 after buying an additional 550 shares in the last quarter. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

PepsiCo Stock Up 2.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ PEP traded up $2.75 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $142.84. 6,052,161 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,110,283. The company has a market cap of $195.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.55, a P/E/G ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.49. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $148.16 and its 200-day simple moving average is $154.94. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05. PepsiCo, Inc. has a one year low of $138.33 and a one year high of $183.41.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $27.78 billion for 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 business's revenue for the quarter was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.78 EPS. On average, analysts predict that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th were issued a $1.355 dividend. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.79%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 7th. PepsiCo's dividend payout ratio is currently 77.99%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PEP has been the topic of several recent research reports. Barclays cut PepsiCo from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $168.00 to $156.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $183.00 to $160.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. BNP Paribas lowered their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $162.00 to $160.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Bank of America reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $155.00 price objective (down from $185.00) on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered PepsiCo from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their price target for the company from $171.00 to $170.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, PepsiCo presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $168.12.

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.