Lafayette Investments Inc. Has $6.72 Million Stock Holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Lafayette Investments Inc. lifted its holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Free Report) by 9.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 44,167 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 3,892 shares during the quarter. PepsiCo accounts for 1.4% of Lafayette Investments Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. Lafayette Investments Inc.'s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $6,716,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of PEP. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Collier Financial acquired a new stake in PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new position in PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.07% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Citigroup cut their target price on PepsiCo from $195.00 to $170.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Bank of America reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $155.00 price objective (down from $185.00) on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered PepsiCo from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $171.00 to $170.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered PepsiCo from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, PepsiCo has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $168.12.

PepsiCo Price Performance

Shares of PEP traded up $2.75 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $142.84. The company's stock had a trading volume of 6,052,161 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,110,283. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $195.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.55, a PEG ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.49. PepsiCo, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $138.33 and a fifty-two week high of $183.41. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $148.16 and a 200 day moving average price of $154.94.

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

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

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

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.