Eliot Finkel Investment Counsel LLC Sells 305 Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Eliot Finkel Investment Counsel LLC decreased its holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 3.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,895 shares of the company’s stock after selling 305 shares during the period. PepsiCo comprises approximately 1.0% of Eliot Finkel Investment Counsel LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. Eliot Finkel Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $1,511,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. DHJJ Financial Advisors Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Pacifica Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in PepsiCo during the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. West Tower Group LLC acquired a new stake in PepsiCo during the second quarter worth approximately $36,000. VitalStone Financial LLC acquired a new position in PepsiCo in the second quarter valued at about $46,000. Finally, Pacific Center for Financial Services bought a new position in PepsiCo in the 1st quarter valued at about $47,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on PEP shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $181.00 to $184.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. Citigroup upgraded shares of PepsiCo from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $180.00 to $195.00 in a report on Monday, February 12th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $179.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of PepsiCo from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $190.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 18th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $187.77.

PepsiCo Stock Up 0.8 %

NASDAQ PEP traded up $1.44 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $175.01. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 5,710,539 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,548,546. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 52 week low of $155.83 and a 52 week high of $196.88. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $168.10 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $167.99. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02. The company has a market capitalization of $240.55 billion, a PE ratio of 26.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.53.

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

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.265 per share. This represents a $5.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.89%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 29th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 77.02%.

PepsiCo 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.