Prairie Sky Financial Group LLC Cuts Stake in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Prairie Sky Financial Group LLC trimmed its position in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 1.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 5,799 shares of the company’s stock after selling 114 shares during the quarter. PepsiCo comprises about 0.6% of Prairie Sky Financial Group LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. Prairie Sky Financial Group LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $985,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Caprock Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 12.1% in the fourth quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 21,394 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,661,000 after buying an additional 2,301 shares during the last quarter. Retirement Financial Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $373,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 37,027 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,153,000 after purchasing an additional 1,090 shares in the last quarter. Eastover Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in PepsiCo by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Eastover Investment Advisors LLC now owns 36,044 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,122,000 after buying an additional 941 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in PepsiCo by 60.0% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 23,300 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,947,000 after buying an additional 8,742 shares during the period. 73.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PepsiCo Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ PEP traded up $1.44 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $175.01. 5,710,539 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,548,546. The company’s 50-day moving average is $168.10 and its 200-day moving average is $167.99. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 52-week low of $155.83 and a 52-week high of $196.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $240.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.64, a PEG ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.53. 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 (NASDAQ:PEP) last announced its earnings results on Friday, February 9th. The company reported $1.78 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.72 by $0.06. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 58.03% and a net margin of 9.92%. The company had revenue of $27.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $28.40 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.67 EPS. PepsiCo’s revenue for the quarter was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st will be paid a $1.265 dividend. This represents a $5.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.89%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 29th. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is presently 77.02%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on PEP shares. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $195.00 price objective on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Friday, February 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded shares of PepsiCo from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $185.00 to $176.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 19th. StockNews.com lowered PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on PepsiCo from $181.00 to $184.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on PepsiCo from $179.00 to $183.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 13th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, PepsiCo currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $187.77.

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.