Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Increases Stock Holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 3.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 19,001,928 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 578,083 shares during the quarter. PepsiCo accounts for approximately 0.8% of Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 20th largest holding. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned 1.38% of PepsiCo worth $3,227,287,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA grew its stake in PepsiCo by 80.5% during the 4th quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA now owns 157 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Life Planning Partners Inc purchased a new stake in PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. Naples Money Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Avion Wealth grew its holdings in PepsiCo by 61.7% during the fourth quarter. Avion Wealth now owns 241 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares during the period. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

PepsiCo Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ PEP traded up $0.08 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $178.10. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,254,916 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,643,205. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $170.49 and a two-hundred day moving average of $168.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a current ratio of 0.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $244.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.79, a P/E/G ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.52. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 1-year low of $155.83 and a 1-year high of $196.88.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.61 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $18.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.08 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.50 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 7th will be given a dividend of $1.355 per share. This is a boost from PepsiCo’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.27. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 7th. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.04%. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is presently 76.09%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Citigroup upgraded PepsiCo from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $180.00 to $195.00 in a research report on Monday, February 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $181.00 to $184.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Barclays upped their price target on PepsiCo from $184.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on PepsiCo from $178.00 to $181.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on 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 assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $187.42.

PepsiCo Company 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.