Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund Boosts Stock Position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund lifted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 4.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 453,908 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 17,900 shares during the period. PepsiCo makes up approximately 0.7% of Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest holding. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $69,021,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Collier Financial acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the third quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 93.2% during the third quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 199 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PEP has been the subject of a number of research reports. HSBC decreased their target price on PepsiCo from $186.00 to $170.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. BNP Paribas decreased their price target on PepsiCo from $162.00 to $160.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. StockNews.com downgraded PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Royal Bank of Canada started coverage on PepsiCo in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. They issued a $172.00 price target for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on PepsiCo from $185.00 to $168.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $171.47.

PepsiCo Price Performance

PEP stock opened at $153.50 on Friday. 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 $210.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.09, a P/E/G ratio of 3.09 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 0.65. The business’s 50-day moving average is $148.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is $162.18.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.02. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 58.87% and a net margin of 10.43%. The business had revenue of $27.78 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $27.89 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.78 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be issued a $1.355 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $5.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.53%. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is currently 77.99%.

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.