PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $187.42.

A number of brokerages have recently commented on PEP. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $184.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on PepsiCo from $181.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Argus lowered PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. StockNews.com lowered PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on PepsiCo from $199.00 to $209.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 5th.

PepsiCo Price Performance

PEP opened at $176.68 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $242.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.57, a PEG ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.53. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $169.22 and a 200 day moving average of $167.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a current ratio of 0.86. PepsiCo has a fifty-two week low of $155.83 and a fifty-two week high of $196.88.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.61 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.52 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $18.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.08 billion. PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.00% and a return on equity of 57.37%. PepsiCo’s quarterly revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.50 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that PepsiCo will post 8.15 EPS for the current year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 1st were issued a $1.265 dividend. This represents a $5.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is presently 76.09%.

Institutional Trading of PepsiCo

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA lifted its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 80.5% in the 4th quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA now owns 157 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 100.0% in the 4th quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC now owns 194 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. purchased a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Life Planning Partners Inc acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Naples Money Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.