Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC Purchases 4,709 Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 6.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 79,478 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 4,709 shares during the quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $11,479,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of PEP. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the fourth quarter worth 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. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. acquired a new stake in PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new stake in PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

PepsiCo Stock Down 1.1%

PEP stock opened at $130.85 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.82. PepsiCo, Inc. has a one year low of $127.75 and a one year high of $180.91. The company has a fifty day moving average of $134.63 and a 200-day moving average of $145.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $179.41 billion, a PE ratio of 18.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.45.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.81 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.61 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors 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 yield of 4.35%. This is an increase from PepsiCo’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.36. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 6th. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is presently 83.68%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PEP has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $163.00 price target on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on PepsiCo from $168.00 to $153.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. Barclays dropped their price objective on PepsiCo from $143.00 to $135.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Evercore ISI set a $140.00 price objective on PepsiCo in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their target price for the company 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 assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, 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.