PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) Trading Up 0.9% - Time to Buy?

PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) was up 0.9% during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $154.58 and last traded at $154.84. Approximately 1,927,836 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 73% from the average daily volume of 7,012,063 shares. The stock had previously closed at $153.47.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on PEP shares. Royal Bank of Canada began coverage on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. They issued a $172.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $195.00 to $170.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on PepsiCo from $193.00 to $175.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on PepsiCo from $183.00 to $165.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $184.00 to $178.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $171.47.

PepsiCo Trading Down 0.2 %

The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05. The company has a market cap of $211.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.14, a PEG ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.52. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $148.73 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $161.14.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $27.78 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.78 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th will be issued a $1.355 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.52%. PepsiCo's dividend payout ratio is presently 77.99%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On PepsiCo

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of PEP. Collier Financial acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC bought a new position in PepsiCo during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC bought a new stake in PepsiCo in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the third quarter worth $31,000. Institutional investors 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.

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