PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) Shares Up 0.3% – Should You Buy?

Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) shot up 0.3% on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $146.17 and last traded at $145.83. 1,593,595 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 72% from the average session volume of 5,716,523 shares. The stock had previously closed at $145.40.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on PEP shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on PepsiCo from $185.00 to $183.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of PepsiCo to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Piper Sandler began coverage on PepsiCo in a research note on Tuesday. They set an “overweight” rating and a $171.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com upgraded PepsiCo from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $186.00 to $183.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $180.64.

PepsiCo Stock Up 0.3 %

The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $158.60 and a 200-day moving average of $166.97. The firm has a market cap of $200.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.54.

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

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 6th were issued a dividend of $1.355 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 6th. This represents a $5.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.72%. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 79.94%.

Institutional Trading of PepsiCo

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PEP. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates raised its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Mattson Financial Services LLC bought a new position in PepsiCo during the second quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its holdings in PepsiCo by 93.2% during the third quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 199 shares of the company’s stock worth $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.

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.