Martin Capital Partners LLC Cuts Stock Position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Martin Capital Partners LLC lessened its holdings in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 56.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,007 shares of the company’s stock after selling 9,124 shares during the quarter. Martin Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $1,065,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PEP. Cross Staff Investments Inc boosted its stake in PepsiCo by 0.9% during the third quarter. Cross Staff Investments Inc now owns 7,080 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,204,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Paulson Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 2.1% in the third quarter. Paulson Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,986 shares of the company’s stock valued at $508,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. LCM Capital Management Inc increased its position in PepsiCo by 0.8% in the third quarter. LCM Capital Management Inc now owns 7,573 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,288,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Demars Financial Group LLC raised its stake in PepsiCo by 1.1% during the third quarter. Demars Financial Group LLC now owns 5,721 shares of the company’s stock valued at $973,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sigma Investment Counselors Inc. grew its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Sigma Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 4,310 shares of the company’s stock worth $733,000 after buying an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. 73.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PepsiCo Stock Down 4.5 %

NASDAQ:PEP opened at $143.49 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.70. The firm has a market cap of $196.87 billion, a PE ratio of 21.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a 50-day moving average of $152.86 and a 200 day moving average of $164.71. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 1-year low of $141.51 and a 1-year high of $183.41.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 10.18% and a return on equity of 57.32%. The company had revenue of $27.78 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $27.89 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.78 earnings per share. PepsiCo’s revenue for the quarter was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 6th were given a dividend of $1.355 per share. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 6th. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is 79.94%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on PEP shares. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $170.00 to $155.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Barclays cut their target price on PepsiCo from $183.00 to $158.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 17th. UBS Group lowered their price target on PepsiCo from $193.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $183.00 to $165.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada began coverage on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Tuesday. They set a $172.00 price target on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $173.53.

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.