Mather Group LLC. Trims Stock Holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Mather Group LLC. trimmed its holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 12.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,043 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,210 shares during the period. Mather Group LLC.’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $2,725,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in PEP. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA grew its position in shares of PepsiCo by 80.5% in the 4th quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA now owns 157 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Life Planning Partners Inc bought a new position in PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Naples Money Management LLC acquired a new position in PepsiCo in the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Avion Wealth lifted its position in shares of PepsiCo by 61.7% in the 4th quarter. Avion Wealth now owns 241 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PepsiCo Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ PEP opened at $176.14 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $169.60 and its 200 day simple moving average is $168.05. The stock has a market cap of $242.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96. PepsiCo, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $155.83 and a fifty-two week high of $196.88.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.61 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.52 by $0.09. PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.00% and a return on equity of 57.37%. The company had revenue of $18.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.08 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.50 EPS. PepsiCo’s revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.16 EPS for the current year.

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st were given a dividend of $1.265 per share. This represents a $5.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.87%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 76.09%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on PEP. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of PepsiCo from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $190.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 18th. Barclays increased their price target on PepsiCo from $184.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and set a $195.00 price objective on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Argus lowered PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $178.00 to $181.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $187.42.

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.