Xponance Inc. Acquires 3,670 Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Xponance Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 1.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 277,606 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,670 shares during the period. PepsiCo comprises approximately 0.6% of Xponance Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $47,149,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Cerity Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 59.4% during the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 993,567 shares of the company’s stock worth $168,747,000 after buying an additional 370,122 shares in the last quarter. Harbour Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in PepsiCo by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Harbour Capital Advisors LLC now owns 27,446 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,747,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the period. Meadow Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at $405,000. Manchester Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in PepsiCo by 1.4% in the third quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 13,240 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,243,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares during the period. Finally, Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC increased its holdings in PepsiCo by 34.5% in the fourth quarter. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC now owns 12,317 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,091,000 after purchasing an additional 3,159 shares during the period. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

PepsiCo Stock Up 1.6 %

NASDAQ PEP traded up $2.79 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $172.27. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 5,265,583 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,695,882. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 52 week low of $155.83 and a 52 week high of $196.88. The company has a market capitalization of $236.79 billion, a PE ratio of 25.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $168.58 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $167.38.

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

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 1st were paid a $1.265 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $5.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.94%. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 77.02%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Monday, February 12th. StockNews.com cut shares of PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 12th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $183.00 to $184.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 12th. Citigroup raised shares of PepsiCo from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the company from $180.00 to $195.00 in a research report on Monday, February 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target 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. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, PepsiCo has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $186.92.

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.