Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC Boosts Holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC boosted its position in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 0.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 152,798 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,244 shares during the period. PepsiCo accounts for 2.1% of Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 29th biggest position. Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $23,234,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in PEP. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the third quarter worth $28,000. Collier Financial acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the third quarter worth $31,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 93.2% in the third quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 199 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the period. Finally, Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

PEP opened at $143.39 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $150.09 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $163.41. The company has a quick ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05. The company has a market cap of $196.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.63, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.54. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 52-week low of $141.51 and a 52-week high of $183.41.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $27.78 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $27.89 billion. PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.43% and a return on equity of 58.87%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.78 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a $1.355 dividend. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is currently 77.99%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on PEP shares. Evercore ISI cut their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $180.00 to $160.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Piper Sandler started coverage on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $171.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada started coverage on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. They set a $172.00 price target on the stock. CICC Research restated a “market perform” rating on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, PepsiCo has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $171.47.

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.