GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC Decreases Stock Position in PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP

GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC cut its stake in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 84.3% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 1,219 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,549 shares during the quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $175,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in PepsiCo by 15.8% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 12,817 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,839,000 after purchasing an additional 1,747 shares during the period. New Millennium Group LLC raised its stake in PepsiCo by 162.4% in the fourth quarter. New Millennium Group LLC now owns 1,068 shares of the company’s stock valued at $153,000 after buying an additional 661 shares in the last quarter. Legato Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at $757,000. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. acquired a new stake in PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at $168,000. Finally, New World Advisors LLC raised its stake in PepsiCo by 11.0% in the fourth quarter. New World Advisors LLC now owns 1,729 shares of the company’s stock valued at $248,000 after buying an additional 172 shares in the last quarter. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on PEP shares. UBS Group cut their price target on PepsiCo from $190.00 to $186.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. HSBC raised their price target on PepsiCo from $175.00 to $176.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Rothschild & Co Redburn raised their price target on PepsiCo from $130.00 to $132.00 in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Barclays raised their price target on PepsiCo from $154.00 to $158.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane raised their price target on PepsiCo from $191.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, PepsiCo presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $170.11.

Key Stories Impacting PepsiCo

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo extended and revised its licensing and bottling arrangements with Varun Beverages in India through 2049, while also giving the partner more freedom to pursue non-PepsiCo ventures. The longer-term deal should help protect distribution in a key growth market and reduce partnership uncertainty. Varun Beverages, PepsiCo revise licencing deal
• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo is also being highlighted by market commentary as a strong growth stock and a defensive blue-chip income name, reinforcing investor interest in the company’s earnings stability and dividend profile. Here’s Why PepsiCo (PEP) is a Strong Growth Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: PepsiCo launched new products and initiatives, including a functional ready-to-drink tea and a greenhouse program in Asia-Pacific, which support its innovation story but are unlikely to move the stock on their own. PepsiCo adds functional RTD tea
• Neutral Sentiment: The company is also moving ahead with sustainability and regenerative agriculture efforts, which may help long-term brand positioning but are not immediate earnings catalysts. PepsiCo enters regen ag pact with LDC
• Negative Sentiment: Industry coverage continues to flag margin pressure from higher sugar, packaging and freight costs, along with tariff uncertainty. That backdrop could weigh on profitability for PepsiCo and other soft drink makers if costs stay elevated. 5 Soft Drinks Stocks to Track Amid Margin & Tariff Pressures
• Negative Sentiment: PepsiCo said it will raise prices on some smaller chip bags to offset increased costs. While this may help margins, it can also pressure volume and suggests inflation remains a headwind. Lay’s and Doritos maker to raise prices on small bags of chips

PepsiCo Stock Up 1.2%

PEP opened at $150.57 on Friday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $154.17 and its 200-day simple moving average is $152.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.90. PepsiCo, Inc. has a one year low of $127.60 and a one year high of $171.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $205.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.38.

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

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 5th will be given a dividend of $1.48 per share. This represents a $5.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.9%. This is an increase from PepsiCo’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.42. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 5th. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is presently 89.32%.

PepsiCo declared that its Board of Directors has initiated 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 buy up to 4.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

PepsiCo 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.