Focus Financial Network Inc. Decreases Stock Holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Focus Financial Network Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 15.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,827 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,096 shares during the quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc.’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $1,773,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PEP. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in PepsiCo in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. acquired a new stake in PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Summit Securities Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 73.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PepsiCo Trading Down 1.5%

PepsiCo stock opened at $129.90 on Thursday. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 1 year low of $127.75 and a 1 year high of $180.91. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $135.04 and its 200-day moving average is $145.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.82. The company has a market cap of $178.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.69, a PEG ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.45.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by ($0.01). PepsiCo had a return on equity of 58.87% and a net margin of 10.43%. The business had revenue of $17.92 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.81 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.61 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, June 6th will be paid a dividend of $1.4225 per share. This is an increase from PepsiCo’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.36. This represents a $5.69 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 6th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is presently 83.68%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on PEP. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $168.00 to $153.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 25th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $171.00 to $170.00 in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Barclays reduced 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. UBS Group dropped their price objective on PepsiCo from $175.00 to $169.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Dbs Bank cut PepsiCo from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $160.69.

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.