PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) Trading Up 1.2% - Still a Buy?

PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) shares traded up 1.2% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $148.62 and last traded at $148.25. 7,213,692 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 22% from the average session volume of 5,895,834 shares. The stock had previously closed at $146.54.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on PEP shares. TD Cowen decreased their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $183.00 to $160.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded PepsiCo from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price target for the company from $179.00 to $184.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $177.00 to $176.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 4th. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $193.00 to $175.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $183.00 to $158.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, PepsiCo presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $178.60.

PepsiCo Trading Up 1.2 %

The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $155.37 and a 200-day simple moving average of $165.86. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $203.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.54.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 6th were paid a dividend of $1.355 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 6th. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.66%. PepsiCo's dividend payout ratio is presently 79.94%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On PepsiCo

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its position in PepsiCo by 14.1% in the second quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 201,035 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,157,000 after acquiring an additional 24,835 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. raised its position in shares of PepsiCo by 2.8% during the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 389,241 shares of the company's stock valued at $64,186,000 after acquiring an additional 10,547 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its holdings in PepsiCo by 8.5% in the second quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 121,512 shares of the company's stock worth $20,040,000 after purchasing an additional 9,567 shares during the period. Merriman Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in PepsiCo by 3.5% during the second quarter. Merriman Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,965 shares of the company's stock valued at $324,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kowal Investment Group LLC lifted its position in shares of PepsiCo by 6.5% in the 2nd quarter. Kowal Investment Group LLC now owns 8,486 shares of the company's stock worth $1,400,000 after buying an additional 518 shares during the last quarter. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.

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