PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) Shares Sold by Gamco Investors INC. ET AL

Gamco Investors INC. ET AL decreased its holdings in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Free Report) by 6.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 70,922 shares of the company's stock after selling 5,180 shares during the quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL's holdings in PepsiCo were worth $10,784,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in PepsiCo during the 4th quarter valued at $2,729,565,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the 4th quarter valued at about $589,307,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in PepsiCo by 18.1% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 25,217,043 shares of the company's stock worth $3,834,504,000 after purchasing an additional 3,856,193 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in PepsiCo by 21.1% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 13,021,316 shares of the company's stock worth $2,293,049,000 after buying an additional 2,264,445 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 133,371,504 shares of the company's stock valued at $20,280,471,000 after acquiring an additional 1,376,133 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.07% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on PEP. UBS Group cut their target price on PepsiCo from $193.00 to $175.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. HSBC reduced their price objective on PepsiCo from $186.00 to $170.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Bank of America reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $155.00 price target (down from $185.00) on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada started coverage on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. They set a $172.00 price target on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $168.12.

PepsiCo Trading Up 2.0 %

PepsiCo stock traded up $2.75 during trading on Friday, hitting $142.84. The company had a trading volume of 6,052,161 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,108,149. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $148.22 and its 200-day simple moving average is $155.14. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 1-year low of $138.33 and a 1-year high of $183.41. The stock has a market cap of $195.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.49.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.02. PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.43% and a return on equity of 58.87%. The company had revenue of $27.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $27.89 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.78 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

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

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.