PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) Trading 1.6% Higher - Still a Buy?

Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) shot up 1.6% on Friday . The company traded as high as $154.92 and last traded at $153.77. 2,344,955 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 67% from the average session volume of 7,133,242 shares. The stock had previously closed at $151.37.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on PEP shares. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on PepsiCo from $185.00 to $168.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $184.00 to $178.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. HSBC cut their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $186.00 to $170.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, BNP Paribas lowered their price objective on PepsiCo from $162.00 to $160.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $169.88.

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PepsiCo Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.65. The firm has a market cap of $201.05 billion, a PE ratio of 21.09, a PEG ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.49. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $149.33 and a 200 day simple moving average of $157.07.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $27.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $27.89 billion. PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.43% and a return on equity of 58.87%. The firm's revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.78 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current 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 paid a $1.355 dividend. This represents a $5.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.70%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 7th. PepsiCo's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 77.99%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On PepsiCo

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Howard Capital Management Group LLC grew its holdings in PepsiCo by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 4,568 shares of the company's stock valued at $777,000 after buying an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Morse Asset Management Inc purchased a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $996,000. Quarry LP lifted its stake in PepsiCo by 15.5% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,030 shares of the company's stock worth $175,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. Voya Financial Advisors Inc. grew its position in PepsiCo by 19.5% in the 3rd quarter. Voya Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 3,189 shares of the company's stock valued at $542,000 after acquiring an additional 521 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EP Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of PepsiCo by 6.3% during the third quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 352,809 shares of the company's stock worth $59,995,000 after purchasing an additional 20,840 shares during the last quarter. 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.