Fruth Investment Management Cuts Stock Holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Fruth Investment Management trimmed its position in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 0.8% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 28,398 shares of the company’s stock after selling 230 shares during the period. PepsiCo accounts for approximately 1.2% of Fruth Investment Management’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest position. Fruth Investment Management’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $4,318,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in PepsiCo in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 93.2% during the 3rd quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 199 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the period. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, ORG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the third quarter valued at about $44,000. 73.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on PEP shares. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $193.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 16th. HSBC lowered their price objective on PepsiCo from $186.00 to $170.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Redburn Atlantic raised PepsiCo to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Citigroup cut their price objective on PepsiCo from $195.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $183.00 to $165.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, PepsiCo currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $171.76.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

NASDAQ:PEP opened at $145.66 on Thursday. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 12 month low of $141.51 and a 12 month high of $183.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $199.84 billion, a PE ratio of 21.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.54. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $152.49 and its 200 day moving average price is $164.53.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $27.78 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $27.89 billion. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 57.32% and a net margin of 10.18%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.78 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.72%. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is currently 79.94%.

PepsiCo Company 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.