Swedbank AB Lowers Holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Swedbank AB cut its stake in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 15.8% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 1,975,359 shares of the company’s stock after selling 370,108 shares during the period. Swedbank AB’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $300,373,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates increased its position in PepsiCo by 59.0% during the third quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 159 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the period. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in PepsiCo in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in PepsiCo during the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Mattson Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the second quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its position in PepsiCo by 93.2% in the 3rd quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 199 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the period. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

PepsiCo Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of PEP stock traded up $0.49 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $150.74. 381,861 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,508,709. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a current ratio of 0.89. The firm has a market cap of $206.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.21, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $153.68 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $165.17. PepsiCo, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $141.51 and a fifty-two week high of $183.41.

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 6th were given a $1.355 dividend. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 6th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 79.94%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PEP has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $183.00 to $165.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 24th. UBS Group decreased their price target on PepsiCo from $193.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $183.00 to $158.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $170.00 to $155.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, StockNews.com raised PepsiCo from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, PepsiCo presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $177.00.

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.