PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) Shares Bought by Ashton Thomas Securities LLC

Ashton Thomas Securities LLC grew its holdings in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 249.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 8,240 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,880 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $1,258,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Collier Financial acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC bought a new position in PepsiCo during the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in PepsiCo during the third quarter worth about $31,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in PepsiCo in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Human Investing LLC bought a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

PepsiCo Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:PEP opened at $146.45 on Tuesday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $149.08 and a 200 day simple moving average of $158.73. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 1 year low of $141.51 and a 1 year high of $183.41. The firm has a market cap of $200.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.07, a P/E/G ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.52.

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 the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $27.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $27.89 billion. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 58.87% and a net margin of 10.43%. The firm’s revenue was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.78 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be issued a dividend of $1.355 per share. 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 3.70%. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is currently 77.99%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $171.00 to $170.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on PepsiCo from $183.00 to $165.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 24th. StockNews.com cut PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. HSBC reduced 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on PepsiCo from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $169.88.

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.