Lincoln National Corp Buys 14,946 Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Lincoln National Corp increased its stake in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 47.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 46,655 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 14,946 shares during the quarter. Lincoln National Corp’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $7,924,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA boosted its holdings in PepsiCo by 80.5% during the 4th quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA now owns 157 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the period. Life Planning Partners Inc bought a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Naples Money Management LLC purchased a new position in PepsiCo in the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in PepsiCo in the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, Avion Wealth grew its stake in PepsiCo by 61.7% in the 4th quarter. Avion Wealth now owns 241 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on PEP shares. StockNews.com lowered PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 12th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on PepsiCo from $199.00 to $209.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Citigroup raised shares of PepsiCo from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $180.00 to $195.00 in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of PepsiCo from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $190.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 18th. Finally, Argus cut shares of PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $187.42.

PepsiCo Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of PEP stock traded down $0.33 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $175.82. 3,576,177 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,716,585. PepsiCo, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $155.83 and a fifty-two week high of $196.88. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $170.30 and its 200-day moving average is $168.57. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96. The company has a market cap of $241.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.44, a P/E/G ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.52.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.61 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.52 by $0.09. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 57.37% and a net margin of 10.00%. The business had revenue of $18.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.08 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.50 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 7th will be paid a dividend of $1.355 per share. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.08%. This is an increase from PepsiCo’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.27. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 7th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is presently 76.09%.

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.