USS Investment Management Ltd Buys 3,752 Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP

USS Investment Management Ltd grew its stake in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 1.7% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 229,257 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 3,752 shares during the quarter. USS Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $35,598,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. IFM Investors Pty Ltd boosted its stake in PepsiCo by 4.8% in the 1st quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 273,135 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,415,000 after purchasing an additional 12,472 shares during the period. Partners Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 3.5% in the 1st quarter. Partners Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,998 shares of the company’s stock valued at $310,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the period. Rexford Capital Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 8.8% in the first quarter. Rexford Capital Inc. now owns 3,104 shares of the company’s stock valued at $482,000 after purchasing an additional 252 shares in the last quarter. Family Investment Center Inc. boosted its position in shares of PepsiCo by 5.1% during the first quarter. Family Investment Center Inc. now owns 1,860 shares of the company’s stock worth $289,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the period. Finally, Capricorn Fund Managers Ltd boosted its position in shares of PepsiCo by 104.6% during the first quarter. Capricorn Fund Managers Ltd now owns 53,530 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,313,000 after buying an additional 27,364 shares during the period. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

PepsiCo Stock Down 2.4%

PEP stock opened at $135.40 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $185.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.26, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.35. PepsiCo, Inc. has a twelve month low of $132.47 and a twelve month high of $171.48. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $147.56 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $151.91. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 15th. The company reported $1.61 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.55 by $0.06. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 56.61% and a net margin of 9.15%.The company had revenue of $19.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.89 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.48 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 5th were paid a $1.48 dividend. This is an increase from PepsiCo’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.42. This represents a $5.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.4%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 5th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is 92.94%.

Trending Headlines about PepsiCo

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Investor sentiment was lifted by bullish commentary from 24/7 Wall St., which argued PepsiCo could have more than 20% upside based on a price target above current levels and called the stock a buy. Pepsi Price Prediction: The Case for 20%+ Upside
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual options activity pointed to rising trader interest, with investors buying a large volume of PepsiCo call options, often interpreted as a bullish signal. Investors Buy Large Volume of PepsiCo Call Options (NASDAQ:PEP)
• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo expanded its manufacturing footprint in India by commissioning a second flavor plant in Ujjain, a long-term growth investment that could support supply and regional demand. PepsiCo India opens ?1,266 cr flavour manufacturing facility in Ujjain
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts are heading into PepsiCo’s July 9 earnings release expecting higher Q2 earnings and revenue, but this is still a forecast rather than a reported result. PepsiCo Likely To Report Higher Q2 Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: PepsiCo is also facing a trademark dispute involving “Rise” and “Mtn Dew Rise” at the U.S. Supreme Court, which adds legal uncertainty but is not yet a confirmed financial hit. US Supreme Court takes up Pepsi ‘Mtn Dew Rise’ trademark dispute
• Negative Sentiment: Competition in the soda market remains intense, with Coca-Cola highlighted as having a Freestyle-machine advantage and launching an exclusive new soda flavor at Wingstop, underscoring pressure on PepsiCo’s beverage business. Coca-Cola launches exclusive soda flavor at fast-food giant

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price on PepsiCo from $165.00 to $163.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Citigroup reduced their price target on PepsiCo from $182.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. HSBC lifted their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $175.00 to $176.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $154.00 to $158.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $166.80.

PepsiCo Profile

PepsiCo, Inc (NASDAQ: PEP) is a multinational food and beverage company headquartered in Purchase, New York. The company develops, manufactures, markets and sells a broad portfolio of branded food and beverage products, including carbonated and noncarbonated soft drinks, bottled water, sports drinks, juices, ready-to-drink teas and coffees, salty snacks, cereals, and other convenient foods. Its leading consumer brands include Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Gatorade, Tropicana, Quaker, Lay’s, Doritos and Cheetos, among others.

Formed through the 1965 merger of Pepsi-Cola and Frito-Lay, PepsiCo has grown into a global business with integrated manufacturing, distribution and marketing operations.