West Oak Capital LLC Increases Position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

West Oak Capital LLC grew its holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 1.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 11,654 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 165 shares during the quarter. West Oak Capital LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $2,040,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA raised its position in shares of 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 buying 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 valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Life Planning Partners Inc acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the 1st quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Naples Money Management LLC purchased a new stake in PepsiCo in the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

Shares of PEP stock opened at $163.58 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $224.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.60, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.52. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $173.10 and a 200 day moving average price of $170.26. 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, Inc. has a 12 month low of $155.83 and a 12 month high of $192.38.

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

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $185.00 to $180.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, June 12th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on PepsiCo from $209.00 to $211.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 16th. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and set a $195.00 price target on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Morgan Stanley raised PepsiCo from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $190.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 18th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on PepsiCo from $181.00 to $184.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 26th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, PepsiCo has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $186.38.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Ramkumar Krishnan sold 5,620 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 53,953 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,603,634. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.14% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.