Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC Grows Stake in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC increased its position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 5.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,880 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 147 shares during the period. Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $438,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of PEP. AGF Management Ltd. grew its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 10.3% in the second quarter. AGF Management Ltd. now owns 70,739 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,667,000 after acquiring an additional 6,600 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 6.0% during the 2nd quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 1,702,146 shares of the company’s stock valued at $280,735,000 after buying an additional 95,864 shares during the period. Investment Partners LTD. boosted its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. Investment Partners LTD. now owns 10,829 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,786,000 after buying an additional 226 shares during the last quarter. PFG Advisors grew its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 63.4% in the second quarter. PFG Advisors now owns 12,415 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,048,000 after acquiring an additional 4,819 shares during the period. Finally, Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC increased its position in PepsiCo by 21.0% during the second quarter. Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC now owns 21,717 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,582,000 after acquiring an additional 3,766 shares during the last quarter. 73.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PepsiCo Price Performance

Shares of PEP traded down $4.02 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $142.52. 5,956,639 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,614,873. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 52 week low of $141.51 and a 52 week high of $183.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a current ratio of 0.89. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $157.81 and a 200-day moving average of $166.68. The stock has a market cap of $195.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.02, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.54.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 8th. The company reported $2.31 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.30 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $23.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $23.86 billion. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 57.32% and a net margin of 10.18%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.25 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 6th. Investors of record on Friday, December 6th were given a $1.355 dividend. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.80%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 6th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is presently 79.94%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

PEP has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $170.00 to $155.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on PepsiCo from $177.00 to $176.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised PepsiCo from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $179.00 to $184.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. StockNews.com raised PepsiCo from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley downgraded PepsiCo from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $185.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Friday, September 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, PepsiCo currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $180.64.

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.