Global Assets Advisory LLC Invests $28.37 Million in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Global Assets Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 162,082 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $28,366,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA grew its holdings in PepsiCo by 80.5% in the fourth quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA now owns 157 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Fortis Group Advisors LLC raised its position in PepsiCo by 100.0% in the fourth quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC now owns 194 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the period. Life Planning Partners Inc bought a new stake in PepsiCo in the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Naples Money Management LLC bought a new stake in PepsiCo in the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Criterion Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

PEP has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley raised shares of PepsiCo from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $190.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, March 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $178.00 to $181.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. Argus lowered shares of PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $185.00 to $180.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, June 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $209.00 to $211.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 16th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $186.15.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Ramkumar Krishnan sold 5,620 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.00, for a total transaction of $1,000,360.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 53,953 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,603,634. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

PEP opened at $168.08 on Tuesday. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 52-week low of $155.83 and a 52-week high of $192.38. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $173.73 and its 200-day moving average price is $170.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96. The company has a market cap of $231.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.52.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.52 by $0.09. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 57.37% and a net margin of 10.00%. The firm had revenue of $18.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.08 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.50 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 7th will be paid a $1.355 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 7th. This is an increase from PepsiCo’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.27. This represents a $5.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.22%. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 81.50%.

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.