Wambolt & Associates LLC Has $2.51 Million Stock Position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Wambolt & Associates LLC trimmed its position in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 23.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 16,471 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,155 shares during the quarter. Wambolt & Associates LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $2,505,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of PEP. Collier Financial acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in PepsiCo in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC acquired a new position in PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Human Investing LLC acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the fourth quarter valued at $39,000. 73.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

NASDAQ PEP opened at $146.45 on Tuesday. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 12-month low of $141.51 and a 12-month high of $183.41. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $149.08 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $158.73. The company has a market capitalization of $200.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.07, a P/E/G ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.02. PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.43% and a return on equity of 58.87%. The company had revenue of $27.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $27.89 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.78 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be issued a $1.355 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $5.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.70%. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is presently 77.99%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on PEP shares. TD Cowen cut their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $183.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on PepsiCo from $183.00 to $165.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 24th. HSBC dropped their price objective on PepsiCo from $186.00 to $170.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Barclays downgraded PepsiCo from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $168.00 to $156.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $171.00 to $170.00 in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, PepsiCo currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $169.88.

PepsiCo 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.