PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) Stake Raised by Professional Advisory Services Inc.

Professional Advisory Services Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 9.5% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 164,239 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 14,263 shares during the period. PepsiCo accounts for about 3.4% of Professional Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 10th biggest holding. Professional Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $24,974,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 9.2% during the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 99,785 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,968,000 after purchasing an additional 8,406 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 104.2% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,705,574 shares of the company’s stock valued at $259,350,000 after purchasing an additional 870,451 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its holdings in PepsiCo by 11.0% in the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 350,225 shares of the company’s stock valued at $59,549,000 after purchasing an additional 34,633 shares during the period. Hudson Valley Investment Advisors Inc. ADV lifted its position in shares of PepsiCo by 12.8% during the 4th quarter. Hudson Valley Investment Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 41,580 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,323,000 after buying an additional 4,712 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IHT Wealth Management LLC raised its position in PepsiCo by 19.3% during the third quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC now owns 32,267 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,493,000 after acquiring an additional 5,220 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

PepsiCo Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ:PEP opened at $148.25 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $155.37 and a 200-day simple moving average of $165.82. PepsiCo, Inc. has a twelve month low of $141.51 and a twelve month high of $183.41. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96. The company has a market capitalization of $203.40 billion, a PE ratio of 21.87, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.54.

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 6th were issued a $1.355 dividend. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.66%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 6th. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is currently 79.94%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on PepsiCo from $185.00 to $183.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $190.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, September 30th. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $193.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded PepsiCo from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $179.00 to $184.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $177.00 to $176.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $178.60.

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.