PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) Trading 1.7% Higher - What's Next?

PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) was up 1.7% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $148.21 and last traded at $148.28. Approximately 1,384,745 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 79% from the average daily volume of 6,722,384 shares. The stock had previously closed at $145.81.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on PEP shares. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $158.00 to $153.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 6th. TD Cowen lowered their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $183.00 to $160.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Royal Bank of Canada assumed coverage on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. They set a $172.00 price target for the company. HSBC lowered their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $186.00 to $170.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, BNP Paribas lowered their target price 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, PepsiCo presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $171.47.

PepsiCo Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $210.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.09, a PEG ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.54. 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 moving average price is $148.75 and its 200 day moving average price is $162.39.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $27.89 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.78 EPS. The business's revenue was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.31 earnings per share for the current year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a $1.355 dividend. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. PepsiCo's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 77.99%.

Institutional Trading of PepsiCo

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the third quarter valued at about $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Collier Financial acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its position in PepsiCo by 93.2% during the third quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 199 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.07% of the company's stock.

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.