PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) Trading Down 0.2% - Should You Sell?

PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report)'s stock price fell 0.2% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $141.71 and last traded at $142.59. 1,734,455 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 71% from the average session volume of 6,070,458 shares. The stock had previously closed at $142.84.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have issued reports on PEP shares. Barclays cut PepsiCo from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $168.00 to $156.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Bank of America restated a "neutral" rating and set a $155.00 target price (down from $185.00) on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Tuesday. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $193.00 to $175.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $180.00 to $160.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Piper Sandler assumed coverage on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $171.00 target price for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $168.12.

PepsiCo Trading Up 2.0 %

The stock has a market cap of $195.88 billion, a PE ratio of 20.55, a PEG ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.82. The business has a 50-day moving average of $148.22 and a 200 day moving average of $155.14.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 the consensus estimate of $27.89 billion. PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.43% and a return on equity of 58.87%. The company's quarterly revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.78 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

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

Institutional Trading of PepsiCo

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Norges Bank acquired a new position in PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,729,565,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of PepsiCo by 19,106.5% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,588,614 shares of the company's stock worth $688,017,000 after buying an additional 4,564,723 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at $589,307,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in PepsiCo by 18.1% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 25,217,043 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,834,504,000 after acquiring an additional 3,856,193 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 21.1% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 13,021,316 shares of the company's stock worth $2,293,049,000 after purchasing an additional 2,264,445 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.