Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. Boosts Stock Position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 5.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 48,990 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,458 shares during the period. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $7,346,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Davis Investment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in PepsiCo in the first quarter valued at about $691,000. Net Worth Advisory Group grew its stake in PepsiCo by 11.5% in the 1st quarter. Net Worth Advisory Group now owns 10,318 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,547,000 after acquiring an additional 1,065 shares during the period. apricus wealth LLC raised its stake in PepsiCo by 2.6% in the 1st quarter. apricus wealth LLC now owns 3,644 shares of the company’s stock valued at $546,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Simon Quick Advisors LLC increased its position in PepsiCo by 41.8% during the first quarter. Simon Quick Advisors LLC now owns 8,512 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,276,000 after purchasing an additional 2,508 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Coerente Capital Management increased its holdings in PepsiCo by 0.5% in the 1st quarter. Coerente Capital Management now owns 133,266 shares of the company’s stock valued at $19,982,000 after purchasing an additional 620 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

PepsiCo Trading Down 1.5%

Shares of PEP stock opened at $129.90 on Thursday. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 12-month low of $127.75 and a 12-month high of $180.91. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $135.04 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $145.63. 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 company has a market capitalization of $178.10 billion, a PE ratio of 18.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.45.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.49 by ($0.01). PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.43% and a return on equity of 58.87%. The firm had revenue of $17.92 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.81 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.61 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 6th will be issued a $1.4225 dividend. This represents a $5.69 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 6th. This is an increase from PepsiCo’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.36. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 83.68%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

PEP has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays lowered their price target on PepsiCo from $143.00 to $135.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 28th. Evercore ISI set a $140.00 price target on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $168.00 to $153.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $171.00 to $170.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $160.69.

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.