PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) Short Interest Update

PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) saw a significant decrease in short interest in January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 17,000,000 shares, a decrease of 22.9% from the January 15th total of 22,060,000 shares. Approximately 1.3% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 6,570,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.6 days.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in PepsiCo in the third quarter valued at $28,000. Collier Financial purchased a new stake in PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC purchased a new stake in PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PepsiCo Trading Down 0.8 %

PEP stock traded down $1.19 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $143.39. 4,999,823 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,619,325. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $149.80 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $163.13. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $196.66 billion, a PE ratio of 20.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.54. PepsiCo has a 1-year low of $141.51 and a 1-year high of $183.41.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.02. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 58.87% and a net margin of 10.43%. The company had revenue of $27.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $27.89 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.78 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that PepsiCo will post 8.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be given a dividend of $1.355 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.78%. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is currently 77.99%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PEP has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Piper Sandler began coverage on PepsiCo in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $171.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com cut PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on PepsiCo from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Barclays reduced their target price on PepsiCo from $158.00 to $153.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, CICC Research reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Friday, February 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $171.47.

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.