PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) Shares Sold by Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc.

Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. trimmed its position in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 0.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 172,867 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,325 shares during the quarter. PepsiCo makes up approximately 0.8% of Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest position. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc.’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $26,286,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the third quarter worth about $28,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in PepsiCo in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its stake in PepsiCo by 93.2% in the 3rd quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 199 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, ORG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the third quarter valued at approximately $44,000. 73.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

PepsiCo Price Performance

Shares of PEP opened at $144.58 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $198.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.80, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.54. PepsiCo, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $141.51 and a fifty-two week high of $183.41. The company has a quick ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $151.80 and its 200 day moving average price is $164.26.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.02. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 58.87% and a net margin of 10.43%. The firm had revenue of $27.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $27.89 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.78 earnings per share. PepsiCo’s revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th will be issued a $1.355 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.75%. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 77.99%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on PEP. StockNews.com downgraded PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday. Royal Bank of Canada started coverage on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Tuesday. They set a $172.00 target price on the stock. CICC Research reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Barclays cut their target price on PepsiCo from $158.00 to $153.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $171.47.

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.