Guardian Investment Management Trims Stock Holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Guardian Investment Management decreased its holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 3.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,080 shares of the company’s stock after selling 380 shares during the period. PepsiCo accounts for about 1.4% of Guardian Investment Management’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. Guardian Investment Management’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $1,712,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA grew its stake in PepsiCo by 80.5% during the fourth quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA now owns 157 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Life Planning Partners Inc purchased a new position in PepsiCo during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Avion Wealth grew its stake in PepsiCo by 61.7% during the fourth quarter. Avion Wealth now owns 241 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Pacific Center for Financial Services purchased a new position in PepsiCo during the first quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Finally, Financial Connections Group Inc. purchased a new position in PepsiCo during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

PepsiCo Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ PEP traded up $2.28 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $171.76. The stock had a trading volume of 2,549,999 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,681,042. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a current ratio of 0.85. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 1 year low of $155.83 and a 1 year high of $196.88. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $168.58 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $167.38. The firm has a market cap of $236.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.53.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 9th. The company reported $1.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.72 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $27.84 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $28.40 billion. PepsiCo had a net margin of 9.92% and a return on equity of 58.03%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.67 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 1st were given a dividend of $1.265 per share. This represents a $5.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.95%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is currently 77.02%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on PEP. Citigroup upgraded shares of PepsiCo from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $180.00 to $195.00 in a research report on Monday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of PepsiCo from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $190.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday, March 18th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $199.00 to $209.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Argus lowered shares of PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $181.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $186.92.

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.