Isthmus Partners LLC Acquires Shares of 1,030 PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Isthmus Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund acquired 1,030 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $170,000.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,686,139,000. Flossbach Von Storch AG boosted its stake in PepsiCo by 67.2% in the first quarter. Flossbach Von Storch AG now owns 4,560,007 shares of the company’s stock valued at $798,047,000 after acquiring an additional 1,832,385 shares in the last quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 125.2% during the second quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,740,573 shares of the company’s stock worth $452,003,000 after purchasing an additional 1,523,631 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in shares of PepsiCo by 17.7% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 8,954,951 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,520,909,000 after purchasing an additional 1,345,065 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 429.3% in the 1st quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,454,793 shares of the company’s stock valued at $254,603,000 after purchasing an additional 1,179,922 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

PepsiCo Price Performance

PepsiCo stock traded down $0.60 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $177.34. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 6,395,276 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,471,998. The firm has a market capitalization of $243.59 billion, a PE ratio of 25.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.53. PepsiCo, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $155.83 and a fifty-two week high of $183.41. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $170.96 and its 200 day simple moving average is $171.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.83.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 11th. The company reported $2.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.16 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $22.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.59 billion. PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.34% and a return on equity of 57.37%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.09 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.15 earnings per share for the current year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 6th will be paid a dividend of $1.355 per share. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.06%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 6th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 78.66%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on PEP shares. TD Cowen cut their price target on PepsiCo from $200.00 to $190.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 3rd. Barclays upped their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $179.00 to $187.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 19th. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Monday, June 24th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $174.00 price objective on the stock. DZ Bank downgraded shares of PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $183.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on PepsiCo from $180.00 to $177.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 12th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, PepsiCo currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $185.53.

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.