Planning Directions Inc. Has $489,000 Stock Position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Planning Directions Inc. lessened its position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 3.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 2,878 shares of the company’s stock after selling 114 shares during the period. Planning Directions Inc.’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $489,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PEP. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA lifted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 80.5% in the fourth quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA now owns 157 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Life Planning Partners Inc bought a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Naples Money Management LLC bought a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Avion Wealth lifted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 61.7% in the fourth quarter. Avion Wealth now owns 241 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pacific Center for Financial Services bought a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the first quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

PepsiCo Price Performance

PEP stock traded up $1.86 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $174.13. 6,636,697 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,502,704. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.68. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $168.68 and a 200 day moving average price of $167.45. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 12 month low of $155.83 and a 12 month high of $196.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $239.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.50, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.53.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 9th. The company reported $1.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.72 by $0.06. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 58.03% and a net margin of 9.92%. The firm had revenue of $27.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.40 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.67 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.15 EPS for the current year.

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st were paid a $1.265 dividend. This represents a $5.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.91%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 77.02%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on PEP. Barclays raised their target price on PepsiCo from $183.00 to $184.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on PepsiCo from $181.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. Morgan Stanley upgraded PepsiCo from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $190.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, March 18th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $180.00 price target on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Monday, February 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on PepsiCo from $199.00 to $209.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 5th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $186.92.

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.