Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Raises Holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 16.7% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 1,166,089 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 167,122 shares during the quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $177,315,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates increased its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 59.0% in the third quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 159 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. Cross Staff Investments Inc grew its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Cross Staff Investments Inc now owns 7,080 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,204,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Paulson Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of PepsiCo by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. Paulson Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,986 shares of the company’s stock valued at $508,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. LCM Capital Management Inc lifted its stake in PepsiCo by 0.8% during the third quarter. LCM Capital Management Inc now owns 7,573 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,288,000 after buying an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Demars Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in PepsiCo by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Demars Financial Group LLC now owns 5,721 shares of the company’s stock worth $973,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the period. 73.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PepsiCo Stock Down 2.8 %

Shares of PepsiCo stock traded down $4.04 during trading on Friday, reaching $142.50. The stock had a trading volume of 2,584,242 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,053,061. The company has a market capitalization of $195.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.02, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.54. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $157.81 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $166.68. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 52 week low of $142.38 and a 52 week high of $183.41.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 8th. The company reported $2.31 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.30 by $0.01. PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.18% and a return on equity of 57.32%. The business had revenue of $23.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.86 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.25 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 6th were issued a $1.355 dividend. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.80%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 6th. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is 79.94%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on PEP. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $185.00 to $183.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. StockNews.com upgraded PepsiCo from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Bank of America cut their target price on PepsiCo from $190.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, September 30th. Barclays cut their target price on PepsiCo from $186.00 to $183.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on PepsiCo from $177.00 to $176.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $180.64.

PepsiCo Company 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.