PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) Shares Up 0.6% – Should You Buy?

Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) traded up 0.6% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $152.21 and last traded at $152.17. 792,142 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 86% from the average session volume of 5,585,567 shares. The stock had previously closed at $151.29.

Analyst Ratings Changes

PEP has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $190.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, September 30th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded PepsiCo to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Barclays cut their price objective on PepsiCo from $186.00 to $183.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of PepsiCo from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $179.00 to $184.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of PepsiCo from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $184.31.

PepsiCo Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $209.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.52. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $163.50 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $168.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.70.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 8th. The company reported $2.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.30 by $0.01. PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.18% and a return on equity of 57.32%. The firm had revenue of $23.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $23.86 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.25 earnings per share. PepsiCo’s revenue was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 6th will be paid a dividend of $1.355 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 6th. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.55%. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 79.94%.

Institutional Trading of PepsiCo

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 9.2% in the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 99,785 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,968,000 after acquiring an additional 8,406 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its stake in PepsiCo by 11.0% during the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 350,225 shares of the company’s stock worth $59,549,000 after purchasing an additional 34,633 shares in the last quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of PepsiCo by 19.3% during the third quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC now owns 32,267 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,493,000 after buying an additional 5,220 shares during the period. Meridian Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the third quarter valued at $9,589,000. Finally, Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the 3rd quarter valued at $527,000. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.