Short Interest in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) Expands By 16.1%

PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) saw a large growth in short interest during the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 18,720,000 shares, a growth of 16.1% from the August 15th total of 16,120,000 shares. Approximately 1.4% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 5,450,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.4 days.

PepsiCo Stock Down 0.2 %

NASDAQ PEP traded down $0.34 on Tuesday, hitting $176.87. 5,722,020 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,437,289. PepsiCo has a fifty-two week low of $155.83 and a fifty-two week high of $183.41. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $172.97 and a 200-day moving average price of $171.65. The company has a market cap of $243.16 billion, a PE ratio of 25.67, a PEG ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 11th. The company reported $2.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.16 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $22.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.59 billion. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 57.37% and a net margin of 10.34%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.09 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that PepsiCo will post 8.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

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

Institutional Trading of PepsiCo

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Gilbert & Cook Inc. grew its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 23.4% during the fourth quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 5,971 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,014,000 after buying an additional 1,133 shares during the last quarter. Aveo Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Aveo Capital Partners LLC now owns 5,480 shares of the company’s stock valued at $931,000 after purchasing an additional 229 shares during the last quarter. 9258 Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 56.0% during the fourth quarter. 9258 Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,281 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,407,000 after purchasing an additional 2,974 shares during the last quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 81.3% during the fourth quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC now owns 8,105 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,357,000 after purchasing an additional 3,635 shares during the period. Finally, Level Four Advisory Services LLC grew its position in PepsiCo by 23.6% in the 4th quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC now owns 23,963 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,070,000 after buying an additional 4,570 shares during the last quarter. 73.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on PepsiCo from $190.00 to $185.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 12th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $175.00 to $170.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. DZ Bank downgraded PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $183.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Friday, July 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $184.00 to $182.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 12th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on PepsiCo from $180.00 to $177.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 12th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, PepsiCo presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $185.53.

About PepsiCo

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.