Lecap Asset Management Ltd. Makes New $2.19 Million Investment in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Lecap Asset Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 14,584 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,187,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in PepsiCo during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in PepsiCo during the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. purchased a new position in PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Summit Securities Group LLC bought a new position in PepsiCo in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the fourth quarter valued at about $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

PepsiCo Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:PEP opened at $131.05 on Wednesday. PepsiCo, Inc. has a twelve month low of $127.75 and a twelve month high of $180.91. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.13. The company has a market cap of $179.68 billion, a PE ratio of 19.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.71 and a beta of 0.45. The company’s 50 day moving average is $132.60 and its 200 day moving average is $143.54.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.49 by ($0.01). PepsiCo had a return on equity of 58.28% and a net margin of 10.24%. The business had revenue of $17.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.81 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.61 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 6th will be paid a $1.4225 dividend. This is an increase from PepsiCo’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.36. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 6th. This represents a $5.69 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.34%. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is presently 83.68%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on PEP. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $148.00 price objective on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group lowered PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $171.00 to $170.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Evercore ISI set a $140.00 price objective on PepsiCo in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. UBS Group decreased their price target on PepsiCo from $175.00 to $169.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Bank of America dropped their price target on PepsiCo from $155.00 to $150.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $159.75.

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.