PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) Shares Bought by Sterling Financial Planning Inc.

Sterling Financial Planning Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 3.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,939 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 103 shares during the period. Sterling Financial Planning Inc.’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $499,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cerity Partners LLC grew its holdings in PepsiCo by 59.4% in the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 993,567 shares of the company’s stock valued at $168,747,000 after purchasing an additional 370,122 shares during the period. Harbour Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of PepsiCo by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Harbour Capital Advisors LLC now owns 27,446 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,747,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Meadow Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth $405,000. Manchester Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of PepsiCo by 1.4% during the third quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 13,240 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,243,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC raised its holdings in PepsiCo by 34.5% in the fourth quarter. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC now owns 12,317 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,091,000 after acquiring an additional 3,159 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

PepsiCo Price Performance

NASDAQ PEP traded up $2.79 on Thursday, reaching $172.27. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 5,573,781 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,722,261. PepsiCo, Inc. has a twelve month low of $155.83 and a twelve month high of $196.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a current ratio of 0.85. The stock has a market cap of $236.79 billion, a PE ratio of 26.22, a PEG ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.53. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $168.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $167.38.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 9th. The company reported $1.78 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.72 by $0.06. PepsiCo had a net margin of 9.92% and a return on equity of 58.03%. The company had revenue of $27.84 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $28.40 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.67 EPS. PepsiCo’s revenue was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.15 EPS for the current year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 1st were paid a dividend of $1.265 per share. This represents a $5.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is presently 77.02%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 12th. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $195.00 target price on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of PepsiCo from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $190.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, March 18th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $180.00 target price on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Finally, Argus lowered shares of PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, PepsiCo has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $186.92.

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.