Eldridge Investment Advisors Inc. Lowers Stock Position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Eldridge Investment Advisors Inc. cut its stake in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 6.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,527 shares of the company’s stock after selling 100 shares during the quarter. Eldridge Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $232,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Collier Financial bought a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC bought a new stake in PepsiCo in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in PepsiCo in the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in PepsiCo in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Human Investing LLC bought a new stake in PepsiCo in the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

PepsiCo Stock Up 0.2 %

PEP stock opened at $148.59 on Friday. PepsiCo, Inc. has a twelve month low of $141.51 and a twelve month high of $183.41. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05. The stock has a market cap of $203.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.38, a PEG ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.52. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $148.76 and its 200-day moving average price is $159.99.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last posted its quarterly 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. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 58.87% and a net margin of 10.43%. The company had revenue of $27.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $27.89 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.78 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th will be issued a $1.355 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $5.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.65%. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is presently 77.99%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on PEP. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price objective on PepsiCo from $184.00 to $178.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $171.00 to $170.00 in a report on Wednesday. Citigroup reduced their price objective on PepsiCo from $195.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Evercore ISI cut their price target on PepsiCo from $180.00 to $160.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on PepsiCo from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $170.59.

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.