PepsiCo Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NASDAQ:PEP)

PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) was the target of some unusual options trading on Tuesday. Investors acquired 52,082 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 85% compared to the typical volume of 28,094 call options.

PepsiCo Trading Down 0.0 %

Shares of PepsiCo stock traded down $0.06 on Tuesday, hitting $155.94. The stock had a trading volume of 5,559,151 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,135,484. The stock has a market cap of $213.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.43, a PEG ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $148.68 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $161.33. PepsiCo has a one year low of $141.51 and a one 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, beating the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $27.78 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $27.89 billion. PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.43% and a return on equity of 58.87%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.78 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that PepsiCo will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be issued a dividend of $1.355 per share. This represents a $5.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 77.99%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on PEP. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $183.00 to $165.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 24th. Piper Sandler started coverage on PepsiCo in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $171.00 target price for the company. BNP Paribas decreased their price target on PepsiCo from $162.00 to $160.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $184.00 to $178.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, CICC Research reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Friday, February 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $171.47.

Institutional Trading of PepsiCo

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in PEP. Collier Financial bought a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the 4th quarter worth $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC bought a new position in PepsiCo in the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in PepsiCo during the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in PepsiCo in the third quarter worth about $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

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.