PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) Shares Down 0.5% – Time to Sell?

PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)’s stock price was down 0.5% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $152.53 and last traded at $153.08. Approximately 1,399,857 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 80% from the average daily volume of 7,075,875 shares. The stock had previously closed at $153.88.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on PEP shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on PepsiCo from $185.00 to $168.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. BNP Paribas reduced 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. 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, February 5th. Evercore ISI decreased their target price on PepsiCo from $180.00 to $160.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada started coverage on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. They set a $172.00 price objective for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $172.35.

PepsiCo Price Performance

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 stock’s fifty day moving average is $148.73 and its 200-day moving average is $161.14. The stock has a market cap of $211.90 billion, a PE ratio of 22.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.52.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $27.78 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $27.89 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.78 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a dividend of $1.355 per share. This represents a $5.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.51%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 77.99%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On PepsiCo

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Collier Financial acquired a new stake in PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in PepsiCo in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 93.2% in the third quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 199 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Creative Capital Management Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. 73.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.