Aviva PLC Increases Position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Aviva PLC raised its holdings in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 6.4% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 1,677,906 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 100,410 shares during the period. PepsiCo comprises 0.7% of Aviva PLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. Aviva PLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $255,142,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of PEP. Collier Financial acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in PepsiCo during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC bought a new position in PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PepsiCo Stock Down 3.1 %

PepsiCo stock opened at $146.61 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $149.33 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $157.21. The stock has a market cap of $201.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.09, a PEG ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.49. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 52 week low of $141.51 and a 52 week high of $183.41. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $27.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $27.89 billion. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 58.87% and a net margin of 10.43%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.78 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th were issued a dividend of $1.355 per share. This represents a $5.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 7th. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is currently 77.99%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PEP has been the subject of a number of research reports. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $171.00 to $170.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $185.00 to $168.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Barclays cut shares of PepsiCo from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $168.00 to $156.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. UBS Group lowered their target price on PepsiCo from $193.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, TD Cowen reduced their price objective on PepsiCo from $183.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $169.88.

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.