PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) Position Boosted by National Bank of Canada FI

National Bank of Canada FI boosted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 6.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,762,555 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 113,184 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI owned approximately 0.13% of PepsiCo worth $268,018,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth $2,729,565,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the 4th quarter valued at $589,307,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in PepsiCo by 18.1% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 25,217,043 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,834,504,000 after purchasing an additional 3,856,193 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its holdings in PepsiCo by 5.1% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 57,268,030 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,738,429,000 after buying an additional 2,775,679 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 21.1% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 13,021,316 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,293,049,000 after buying an additional 2,264,445 shares during the period. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

PepsiCo Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:PEP opened at $149.94 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $205.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.57, a P/E/G ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.52. The business has a 50-day moving average of $149.28 and a two-hundred day moving average of $157.72. PepsiCo, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $141.51 and a fifty-two week high of $183.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.65.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 in the previous year, the company earned $1.78 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th were issued a dividend of $1.355 per share. This represents a $5.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 7th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 77.99%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on PEP. CICC Research restated a “market perform” rating on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Friday, February 7th. BNP Paribas cut their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $162.00 to $160.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. HSBC decreased their target price on PepsiCo from $186.00 to $170.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Royal Bank of Canada began coverage on PepsiCo in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. They set a $172.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Citigroup lowered their target price on PepsiCo from $195.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $169.88.

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.