Candriam S.C.A. Boosts Stake in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Candriam S.C.A. raised its holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 5.0% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 411,944 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 19,772 shares during the quarter. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $67,939,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Strategy Asset Managers LLC grew its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. Strategy Asset Managers LLC now owns 6,632 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,161,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the period. Meixler Investment Management Ltd. lifted its position in PepsiCo by 4.4% during the second quarter. Meixler Investment Management Ltd. now owns 1,383 shares of the company’s stock valued at $228,000 after buying an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Stockton grew its stake in PepsiCo by 2.3% during the second quarter. Bank of Stockton now owns 2,716 shares of the company’s stock worth $448,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the period. Security Financial Services INC. raised its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. Security Financial Services INC. now owns 3,943 shares of the company’s stock valued at $690,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the period. Finally, Ignite Planners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. Ignite Planners LLC now owns 3,681 shares of the company’s stock valued at $605,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PepsiCo Trading Down 1.1 %

NASDAQ PEP opened at $177.34 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $243.59 billion, a PE ratio of 25.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.53. PepsiCo, Inc. has a one year low of $155.83 and a one year high of $183.41. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $170.96 and a 200-day simple moving average of $171.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.83.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 11th. The company reported $2.28 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.16 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $22.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.59 billion. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 57.37% and a net margin of 10.34%. The business’s revenue was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.09 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.15 earnings per share for the current year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 6th will be issued a dividend of $1.355 per share. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.06%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 6th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 78.66%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on PEP shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on PepsiCo from $184.00 to $182.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 12th. DZ Bank lowered PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $183.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $180.00 to $177.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 12th. Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $210.00 to $190.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $190.00 to $185.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 12th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $185.53.

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.