Sound Financial Strategies Group LLC Invests $569,000 in PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP

Sound Financial Strategies Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm purchased 3,962 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $569,000.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Captrust Financial Advisors raised its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 554,798 shares of the company’s stock valued at $77,916,000 after acquiring an additional 19,218 shares in the last quarter. Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc. raised its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 622.3% in the 4th quarter. Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc. now owns 35,603 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,110,000 after acquiring an additional 30,674 shares in the last quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd raised its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 19.3% in the 3rd quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd now owns 252,916 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,451,000 after acquiring an additional 40,947 shares in the last quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 96.5% in the 3rd quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 40,383 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,671,000 after acquiring an additional 19,829 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NEOS Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 65.8% in the 3rd quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC now owns 577,111 shares of the company’s stock valued at $81,049,000 after acquiring an additional 229,121 shares in the last quarter. 73.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

PepsiCo News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo announced a new partnership in the UAE’s Future Industries Lab to support SMEs and young Emiratis, reinforcing its innovation and local investment strategy. MoIAT expands Future Industries Lab with new PepsiCo partnership supporting SMEs and young Emiratis
• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo and TalusAg Renewables announced a low-carbon ammonia agreement, an ESG-oriented move that could improve supply-chain sustainability and appeal to investors focused on emissions reduction. PepsiCo and TalusAg Renewables announce low-carbon ammonia attribute agreement to help accelerate fertilizer decarbonization
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple articles highlighted PepsiCo’s continued investment in China and its focus on international growth, product innovation, and cost discipline, which supports the long-term bull case. PepsiCo to ‘continue investing’ in Chinese market

PepsiCo Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:PEP opened at $154.62 on Friday. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 1-year low of $127.60 and a 1-year high of $171.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $211.33 billion, a PE ratio of 24.27, a PEG ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.38. The business’s 50 day moving average is $157.25 and its 200-day moving average is $152.50. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 15th. The company reported $1.61 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.55 by $0.06. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 56.61% and a net margin of 9.15%.The company had revenue of $19.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.89 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.48 EPS. PepsiCo’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.63 earnings per share for the current year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 5th will be issued a dividend of $1.48 per share. This represents a $5.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 5th. This is a boost from PepsiCo’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.42. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is 89.32%.

PepsiCo announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, February 3rd that authorizes the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 4.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on PepsiCo from $172.00 to $178.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their price target on PepsiCo from $120.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. BNP Paribas Exane lifted their price target on PepsiCo from $191.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on PepsiCo from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on PepsiCo from $154.00 to $158.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $170.26.

PepsiCo Company Profile

PepsiCo, Inc (NASDAQ: PEP) is a multinational food and beverage company headquartered in Purchase, New York. The company develops, manufactures, markets and sells a broad portfolio of branded food and beverage products, including carbonated and noncarbonated soft drinks, bottled water, sports drinks, juices, ready-to-drink teas and coffees, salty snacks, cereals, and other convenient foods. Its leading consumer brands include Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Gatorade, Tropicana, Quaker, Lay’s, Doritos and Cheetos, among others.

Formed through the 1965 merger of Pepsi-Cola and Frito-Lay, PepsiCo has grown into a global business with integrated manufacturing, distribution and marketing operations.