PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) Shares Sold by Northstar Group Inc.

Northstar Group Inc. lowered its position in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 2.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 19,243 shares of the company’s stock after selling 524 shares during the period. Northstar Group Inc.’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $2,926,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at about $514,000. Centerline Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in PepsiCo during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,655,000. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 20.4% in the 4th quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 3,022 shares of the company’s stock valued at $460,000 after purchasing an additional 513 shares during the last quarter. Fairvoy Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth approximately $670,000. Finally, Keystone Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth $69,000. 73.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

PepsiCo Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of PepsiCo stock opened at $144.58 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $151.80 and a 200 day moving average price of $164.26. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05. PepsiCo, Inc. has a twelve month low of $141.51 and a twelve month high of $183.41. The stock has a market cap of $198.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.54.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last posted its 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 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 company’s revenue for the quarter was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.78 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.34 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 paid a $1.355 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.75%. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 77.99%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on PEP shares. UBS Group lowered their price objective on PepsiCo from $193.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Barclays dropped their price objective on PepsiCo from $158.00 to $153.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. CICC Research restated a “market perform” rating on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Friday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $184.00 to $178.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $183.00 to $165.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $171.47.

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.