Entropy Technologies LP Acquires Shares of 5,804 PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Entropy Technologies LP bought a new stake in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 5,804 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $883,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in PepsiCo by 39.3% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 138,963 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,131,000 after buying an additional 39,178 shares in the last quarter. Hendershot Investments Inc. boosted its position in shares of PepsiCo by 7.8% during the 4th quarter. Hendershot Investments Inc. now owns 115,177 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,514,000 after acquiring an additional 8,376 shares during the last quarter. Forbes J M & Co. LLP increased its position in PepsiCo by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Forbes J M & Co. LLP now owns 88,850 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,511,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares during the last quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in PepsiCo by 105.8% during the fourth quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 141,875 shares of the company’s stock worth $21,573,000 after purchasing an additional 72,946 shares during the period. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisors L.P. boosted its holdings in PepsiCo by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisors L.P. now owns 4,716 shares of the company’s stock valued at $717,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares during the last quarter. 73.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $193.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Royal Bank of Canada began coverage on PepsiCo in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. They issued a $172.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on PepsiCo from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. HSBC lowered their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $186.00 to $170.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, CICC Research reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $171.47.

PepsiCo Price Performance

PEP stock opened at $144.35 on Tuesday. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 1 year low of $141.51 and a 1 year high of $183.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $197.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.70. The business’s 50-day moving average is $151.42 and its two-hundred day moving average is $164.06.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.02. PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.43% and a return on equity of 58.87%. The company had revenue of $27.78 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $27.89 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.78 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.34 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, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th will be issued a $1.355 dividend. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.75%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 77.99%.

PepsiCo 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.