545 Shares in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) Bought by AJOVista LLC

AJOVista LLC bought a new stake in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 545 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $93,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA raised its stake in PepsiCo by 80.5% during the fourth quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA now owns 157 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Life Planning Partners Inc acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Naples Money Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, Avion Wealth lifted its holdings in PepsiCo by 61.7% in the fourth quarter. Avion Wealth now owns 241 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. 73.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PepsiCo Price Performance

PEP traded up $0.70 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $176.15. 3,492,120 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,328,097. The firm has a market capitalization of $242.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96. PepsiCo, Inc. has a one year low of $155.83 and a one year high of $196.88. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $170.14 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $168.36.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.61 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.52 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $18.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.08 billion. PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.00% and a return on equity of 57.37%. The company’s revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.50 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.16 EPS for the current year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 7th will be given a dividend of $1.355 per share. This represents a $5.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.08%. This is a boost from PepsiCo’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.27. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 7th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 76.09%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on PEP. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $195.00 price objective on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on PepsiCo from $199.00 to $209.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on PepsiCo from $178.00 to $181.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Monday, February 12th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 12th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $187.42.

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.