PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) Reaches New 52-Week Low - Time to Sell?

Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week low during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $155.85 and last traded at $155.85, with a volume of 7848 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $156.02.

Analyst Ratings Changes

PEP has been the topic of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on PepsiCo from $185.00 to $183.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded PepsiCo to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $186.00 to $183.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. StockNews.com upgraded PepsiCo from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, TD Cowen downgraded shares of PepsiCo from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $190.00 to $183.00 in a report on Thursday, October 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $184.31.

PepsiCo Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.70. The company's 50 day moving average price is $165.23 and its 200 day moving average price is $168.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $214.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.03, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.52.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 8th. The company reported $2.31 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.30 by $0.01. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 57.32% and a net margin of 10.18%. The company had revenue of $23.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $23.86 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.25 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 6th will be given a dividend of $1.355 per share. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 6th. PepsiCo's payout ratio is 79.94%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On PepsiCo

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brass Tax Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in PepsiCo by 8.7% in the third quarter. Brass Tax Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,660 shares of the company's stock valued at $452,000 after purchasing an additional 212 shares in the last quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama grew its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 22.1% in the 3rd quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 657,482 shares of the company's stock valued at $111,805,000 after buying an additional 118,983 shares during the period. Inspire Trust Co. N.A. increased its position in shares of PepsiCo by 12.4% in the 3rd quarter. Inspire Trust Co. N.A. now owns 12,300 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,092,000 after buying an additional 1,355 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in PepsiCo by 21.1% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 13,021,316 shares of the company's stock worth $2,293,049,000 after acquiring an additional 2,264,445 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp grew its stake in PepsiCo by 1.1% in the third quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp now owns 422,080 shares of the company's stock valued at $71,774,000 after acquiring an additional 4,768 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.07% of the company's stock.

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.