IFM Investors Pty Ltd Raises Stock Position in PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP

IFM Investors Pty Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 4.8% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 273,135 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 12,472 shares during the period. IFM Investors Pty Ltd’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $42,415,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in PepsiCo by 12.4% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 59,392 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,031,000 after acquiring an additional 6,574 shares in the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP acquired a new stake in PepsiCo in the first quarter valued at approximately $251,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 138.5% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 6,527 shares of the company’s stock valued at $862,000 after purchasing an additional 3,790 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. raised its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 10.1% during the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 38,164 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,039,000 after purchasing an additional 3,502 shares during the period. Finally, Sei Investments Co. lifted its position in shares of PepsiCo by 45.5% during the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 536,133 shares of the company’s stock worth $70,789,000 after purchasing an additional 167,707 shares in the last quarter. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

PepsiCo Price Performance

Shares of PEP stock opened at $135.40 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $147.56 and a two-hundred day moving average of $151.91. The firm has a market cap of $185.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.26, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.35. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 1-year low of $132.47 and a 1-year high of $171.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.72.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The company reported $1.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.55 by $0.06. PepsiCo had a net margin of 9.15% and a return on equity of 56.61%. The business had revenue of $19.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.89 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.48 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 5th were issued a dividend of $1.48 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 5th. This represents a $5.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.4%. This is a boost from PepsiCo’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.42. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 92.94%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PEP has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $190.00 to $186.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Bank of America cut their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $173.00 to $164.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, June 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their target price on PepsiCo from $173.00 to $168.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their target price on PepsiCo from $130.00 to $132.00 in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on PepsiCo from $160.00 to $150.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, June 5th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, PepsiCo presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $166.80.

Key Stories Impacting PepsiCo

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Investor sentiment was lifted by bullish commentary from 24/7 Wall St., which argued PepsiCo could have more than 20% upside based on a price target above current levels and called the stock a buy. Pepsi Price Prediction: The Case for 20%+ Upside
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual options activity pointed to rising trader interest, with investors buying a large volume of PepsiCo call options, often interpreted as a bullish signal. Investors Buy Large Volume of PepsiCo Call Options (NASDAQ:PEP)
• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo expanded its manufacturing footprint in India by commissioning a second flavor plant in Ujjain, a long-term growth investment that could support supply and regional demand. PepsiCo India opens ₹1,266 cr flavour manufacturing facility in Ujjain
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts are heading into PepsiCo’s July 9 earnings release expecting higher Q2 earnings and revenue, but this is still a forecast rather than a reported result. PepsiCo Likely To Report Higher Q2 Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: PepsiCo is also facing a trademark dispute involving “Rise” and “Mtn Dew Rise” at the U.S. Supreme Court, which adds legal uncertainty but is not yet a confirmed financial hit. US Supreme Court takes up Pepsi ‘Mtn Dew Rise’ trademark dispute
• Negative Sentiment: Competition in the soda market remains intense, with Coca-Cola highlighted as having a Freestyle-machine advantage and launching an exclusive new soda flavor at Wingstop, underscoring pressure on PepsiCo’s beverage business. Coca-Cola launches exclusive soda flavor at fast-food giant

PepsiCo Company Profile

PepsiCo, Inc (NASDAQ: PEP) is a multinational food and beverage company headquartered in Purchase, New York. The company develops, manufactures, markets and sells a broad portfolio of branded food and beverage products, including carbonated and noncarbonated soft drinks, bottled water, sports drinks, juices, ready-to-drink teas and coffees, salty snacks, cereals, and other convenient foods. Its leading consumer brands include Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Gatorade, Tropicana, Quaker, Lay’s, Doritos and Cheetos, among others.

Formed through the 1965 merger of Pepsi-Cola and Frito-Lay, PepsiCo has grown into a global business with integrated manufacturing, distribution and marketing operations.