RiverFront Investment Group LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

RiverFront Investment Group LLC grew its position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 5.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,233 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 207 shares during the quarter. RiverFront Investment Group LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $644,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in PEP. Collier Financial acquired a new stake in PepsiCo in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in PepsiCo during the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Human Investing LLC purchased a new stake in PepsiCo in the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on PEP shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $183.00 to $165.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Piper Sandler began coverage on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $171.00 price target for the company. Barclays lowered shares of PepsiCo from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $168.00 to $156.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $183.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $193.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, PepsiCo has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $169.88.

PepsiCo Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ PEP opened at $149.27 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.65. The company has a market cap of $204.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.52. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $149.25 and its two-hundred day moving average is $158.03. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 1-year low of $141.51 and a 1-year high of $183.41.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.02. PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.43% and a return on equity of 58.87%. The firm had revenue of $27.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $27.89 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.78 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 77.99%.

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.