Forsta AP Fonden Sells 1,100 Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Forsta AP Fonden lowered its stake in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 0.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 373,100 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,100 shares during the period. Forsta AP Fonden’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $55,943,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of PEP. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in PepsiCo by 12.4% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 59,392 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,031,000 after buying an additional 6,574 shares in the last quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG raised its position in PepsiCo by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 470,387 shares of the company’s stock valued at $71,527,000 after purchasing an additional 11,538 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC acquired a new position in PepsiCo in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $74,975,000. Phoenix Financial Ltd. lifted its holdings in PepsiCo by 9.3% during the 4th quarter. Phoenix Financial Ltd. now owns 31,168 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,748,000 after buying an additional 2,659 shares during the period. Finally, Kelman Lazarov Inc. boosted its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. Kelman Lazarov Inc. now owns 1,643 shares of the company’s stock valued at $250,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

PepsiCo Trading Up 2.2%

PEP stock opened at $143.92 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $197.04 billion, a PE ratio of 26.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.75 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.12, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.78. PepsiCo, Inc. has a one year low of $127.60 and a one year high of $179.73. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $135.19 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $140.76.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 17th. The company reported $2.12 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.03 by $0.09. PepsiCo had a net margin of 8.23% and a return on equity of 57.81%. The company had revenue of $22.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.28 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.28 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 1.0% 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 fiscal year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 5th will be given a $1.4225 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 5th. This represents a $5.69 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.0%. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is presently 103.64%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Dbs Bank lowered PepsiCo from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $175.00 to $169.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Cowen reissued a “hold” rating on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. Citigroup boosted their target price on PepsiCo from $160.00 to $168.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on PepsiCo from $153.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, July 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $158.73.

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.