Virtu Financial LLC Takes Position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Free Report) during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 9,472 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,611,000.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in PEP. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates raised its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 59.0% in the third quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 159 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in PepsiCo in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. POM Investment Strategies LLC boosted its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 141.3% during the 2nd quarter. POM Investment Strategies LLC now owns 181 shares of the company's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC bought a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in PepsiCo during the third quarter worth about $31,000. 73.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on PEP shares. Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of PepsiCo to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on PepsiCo from $177.00 to $176.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 4th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded PepsiCo to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. StockNews.com raised shares of PepsiCo from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Bank of America dropped their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $190.00 to $185.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, September 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $184.31.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

PepsiCo stock traded down $0.93 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $157.97. The stock had a trading volume of 4,353,746 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,509,925. The firm has a market capitalization of $216.73 billion, a PE ratio of 23.44, a P/E/G ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.52. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 12 month low of $155.85 and a 12 month high of $183.41. The company has a quick ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $165.94 and its 200 day moving average price is $169.13.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 8th. The company reported $2.31 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.30 by $0.01. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 57.32% and a net margin of 10.18%. The firm had revenue of $23.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.86 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.25 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 6th will be given a dividend of $1.355 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 6th. This represents a $5.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.43%. PepsiCo's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 79.94%.

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.