Benedict Financial Advisors Inc. Has $2.33 Million Position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Benedict Financial Advisors Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 1.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,334 shares of the company’s stock after selling 193 shares during the period. Benedict Financial Advisors Inc.’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $2,332,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PEP. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in PepsiCo in the third quarter valued at $28,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in PepsiCo by 93.2% during the 3rd quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 199 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, ORG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the third quarter valued at approximately $44,000. 73.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PEP has been the subject of several research analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday. TD Cowen cut their price target on PepsiCo from $183.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $195.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $180.00 to $160.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $183.00 to $165.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, PepsiCo currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $171.47.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:PEP opened at $144.58 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $198.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.54. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $151.42 and its 200 day simple moving average is $164.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.70. PepsiCo, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $141.51 and a fifty-two week high of $183.41.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $27.78 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $27.89 billion. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 58.87% and a net margin of 10.43%. The firm’s revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.78 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.34 earnings per share for the current year.

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be issued a $1.355 dividend. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 77.99%.

PepsiCo 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.