Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co Purchases 49,500 Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co lifted its position in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 33.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 196,500 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 49,500 shares during the period. Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $29,880,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Collier Financial acquired a new position in PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in PepsiCo in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in PepsiCo during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. 73.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

PepsiCo Stock Down 3.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:PEP opened at $146.61 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $201.05 billion, a PE ratio of 21.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.49. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 52-week low of $141.51 and a 52-week high of $183.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.82. The company has a fifty day moving average of $149.33 and a 200-day moving average of $157.21.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.02. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 58.87% and a net margin of 10.43%. The firm had revenue of $27.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $27.89 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.78 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th were issued a $1.355 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 7th. This represents a $5.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.70%. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is 77.99%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PEP has been the topic of several research analyst reports. CICC Research reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Barclays cut shares of PepsiCo from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $168.00 to $156.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on PepsiCo from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on PepsiCo from $184.00 to $178.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, HSBC reduced their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $186.00 to $170.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $169.88.

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.