Carret Asset Management LLC Buys 555 Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Carret Asset Management LLC raised its stake in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 0.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 62,556 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 555 shares during the quarter. PepsiCo comprises approximately 1.4% of Carret Asset Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. Carret Asset Management LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $10,625,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA lifted its position in shares of PepsiCo by 80.5% in the fourth quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA now owns 157 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Life Planning Partners Inc bought a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Naples Money Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Avion Wealth increased its holdings in PepsiCo by 61.7% during the fourth quarter. Avion Wealth now owns 241 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

Shares of PEP stock traded up $6.19 on Wednesday, hitting $177.41. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 10,011,958 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,852,656. 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’s 50 day moving average is $168.84 and its 200-day moving average is $167.63. PepsiCo, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $155.83 and a fifty-two week high of $196.88. The company has a market capitalization of $243.85 billion, a PE ratio of 26.50, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.53.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.52 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $18.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.08 billion. PepsiCo had a net margin of 9.92% and a return on equity of 58.03%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.50 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $5.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.85%. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is 77.02%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup upgraded shares of PepsiCo from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $180.00 to $195.00 in a report on Monday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $178.00 to $181.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Monday, February 12th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 12th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $181.00 to $184.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $187.33.

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.