Davidson Investment Advisors Reduces Stake in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Davidson Investment Advisors lessened its stake in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 5.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,019 shares of the company’s stock after selling 116 shares during the quarter. Davidson Investment Advisors’ holdings in PepsiCo were worth $307,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in PepsiCo during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Collier Financial purchased a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the third quarter worth $31,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its position in shares of PepsiCo by 93.2% in the third quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 199 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Creative Capital Management Investments LLC purchased a new position in PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. 73.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:PEP opened at $143.39 on Tuesday. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 12 month low of $141.51 and a 12 month high of $183.41. The company has a market cap of $196.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $149.80 and a 200-day moving average price of $163.06.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.02. PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.43% and a return on equity of 58.87%. The business had revenue of $27.78 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $27.89 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.78 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.34 EPS for the current year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a $1.355 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.78%. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is 77.99%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

PEP has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on PepsiCo from $180.00 to $160.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Piper Sandler assumed coverage on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $171.00 target price for the company. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $195.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada assumed coverage on PepsiCo in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. They set a $172.00 price target on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $171.47.

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.