Whalerock Point Partners LLC Boosts Stock Position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Whalerock Point Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 1.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 48,739 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 555 shares during the quarter. PepsiCo makes up about 1.7% of Whalerock Point Partners LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest holding. Whalerock Point Partners LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $7,411,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Collier Financial bought a new stake in PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in PepsiCo in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Institutional investors own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PEP has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $168.00 to $153.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. StockNews.com lowered PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $184.00 to $178.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $155.00 to $150.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Finally, Evercore ISI set a $140.00 price target on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $162.00.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

Shares of PepsiCo stock opened at $133.38 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $147.70 and its 200 day simple moving average is $153.79. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05. The company has a market capitalization of $182.91 billion, a PE ratio of 19.19, a PEG ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.49. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 12 month low of $131.80 and a 12 month high of $183.41.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.52 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $17.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.81 billion. PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.43% and a return on equity of 58.87%. On average, research analysts predict that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th were given a dividend of $1.355 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 7th. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.06%. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is currently 77.99%.

About PepsiCo

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.