Financial Strategies Group Inc. Increases Holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Financial Strategies Group Inc. increased its position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 26.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 22,664 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 4,789 shares during the period. PepsiCo accounts for about 1.0% of Financial Strategies Group Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest position. Financial Strategies Group Inc.’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $3,867,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Amplius Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Amplius Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,241 shares of the company’s stock worth $381,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,420 shares of the company’s stock worth $411,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. SYM FINANCIAL Corp increased its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. SYM FINANCIAL Corp now owns 2,290 shares of the company’s stock worth $389,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Clearwater Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Clearwater Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,758 shares of the company’s stock worth $468,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Security Financial Services INC. increased its holdings in PepsiCo by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. Security Financial Services INC. now owns 3,943 shares of the company’s stock valued at $690,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at PepsiCo

In related news, CEO Ramkumar Krishnan sold 5,620 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.00, for a total value of $1,000,360.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 53,953 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,603,634. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.14% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

PepsiCo Price Performance

PepsiCo stock opened at $163.58 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $224.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $173.10 and a 200-day simple moving average of $170.26. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 12-month low of $155.83 and a 12-month high of $192.38. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96.

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

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Friday, June 7th were given a $1.355 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 7th. This is a boost from PepsiCo’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.27. This represents a $5.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.31%. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is 81.50%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PEP has been the subject of several research reports. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $195.00 target price on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of PepsiCo from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $190.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, March 18th. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Monday, June 24th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $174.00 target price for the company. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $209.00 to $211.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $181.00 to $184.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 26th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $186.38.

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.