PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) Sets New 12-Month Low – Time to Sell?

Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $157.76 and last traded at $159.52, with a volume of 880318 shares. The stock had previously closed at $158.62.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on PEP. StockNews.com raised shares of PepsiCo from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Morgan Stanley lowered shares of PepsiCo from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $185.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $177.00 to $176.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $180.00 to $179.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, TD Cowen lowered shares of PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $190.00 to $183.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $183.92.

PepsiCo Stock Down 1.0 %

The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $170.00 and a 200 day moving average price of $171.24. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $215.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.12, a P/E/G ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.53.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 8th. The company reported $2.31 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.30 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $23.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $23.86 billion. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 57.32% and a net margin of 10.18%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.25 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 6th will be issued a dividend of $1.355 per share. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.46%. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is presently 79.94%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On PepsiCo

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates lifted its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 59.0% during the third quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 159 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the period. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the third quarter valued at $28,000. POM Investment Strategies LLC lifted its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 141.3% during the second quarter. POM Investment Strategies LLC now owns 181 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the period. Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the second quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in PepsiCo in the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

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.