Haverford Trust Co Trims Position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Haverford Trust Co lowered its stake in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 2.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,228,047 shares of the company’s stock after selling 28,716 shares during the period. PepsiCo accounts for approximately 1.9% of Haverford Trust Co’s holdings, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. Haverford Trust Co’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $186,737,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in PepsiCo in the fourth quarter worth $589,307,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of PepsiCo by 18.1% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 25,217,043 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,834,504,000 after buying an additional 3,856,193 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its position in PepsiCo by 5.1% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 57,268,030 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,738,429,000 after acquiring an additional 2,775,679 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in PepsiCo by 21.1% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 13,021,316 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,293,049,000 after acquiring an additional 2,264,445 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Swedbank AB increased its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 211.4% during the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 2,345,467 shares of the company’s stock valued at $398,847,000 after purchasing an additional 1,592,343 shares in the last quarter. 73.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PepsiCo Trading Down 1.2 %

NASDAQ:PEP opened at $145.45 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.65. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $149.04 and a 200-day moving average price of $158.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $199.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.52. PepsiCo, Inc. has a one year low of $141.51 and a one year high of $183.41.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.02. PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.43% and a return on equity of 58.87%. The company had revenue of $27.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $27.89 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.78 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th will be given a dividend of $1.355 per share. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is currently 77.99%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on PEP. Royal Bank of Canada started coverage on PepsiCo in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. They issued a $172.00 price target on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price target on PepsiCo from $184.00 to $178.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. CICC Research reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Evercore ISI decreased their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $180.00 to $160.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $183.00 to $165.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target 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.