PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) Shares Down 1.1% – Time to Sell?

PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)’s stock price dropped 1.1% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $173.97 and last traded at $173.99. Approximately 761,767 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 86% from the average daily volume of 5,482,329 shares. The stock had previously closed at $175.90.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on PEP shares. Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $190.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, September 30th. Morgan Stanley cut PepsiCo from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $185.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Barclays dropped their price target on PepsiCo from $186.00 to $183.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $210.00 to $200.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 9th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic raised shares of PepsiCo to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $183.92.

PepsiCo Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $173.63 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $172.08. The company has a market cap of $239.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 0.53.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 8th. The company reported $2.31 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.30 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $23.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.86 billion. PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.18% and a return on equity of 57.32%. The company’s revenue was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.25 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 6th were issued a $1.355 dividend. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.11%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 6th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 78.66%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On PepsiCo

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of PEP. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates raised its stake in PepsiCo by 59.0% during the 3rd quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 159 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in PepsiCo by 77.5% in the 1st quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 158 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. POM Investment Strategies LLC grew its stake in PepsiCo by 141.3% during the 2nd quarter. POM Investment Strategies LLC now owns 181 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Mattson Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the second quarter worth approximately $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

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.