Maryland State Retirement & Pension System Raises Stock Position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System increased its position in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 1.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 107,257 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,142 shares during the period. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $18,217,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA lifted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 80.5% during the fourth quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA now owns 157 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Life Planning Partners Inc acquired a new position in PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Naples Money Management LLC acquired a new position in PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth $36,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Avion Wealth boosted its position in PepsiCo by 61.7% during the 4th quarter. Avion Wealth now owns 241 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares during the period. 73.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PEP has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on PepsiCo from $199.00 to $209.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Barclays upped their price target on PepsiCo from $184.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Morgan Stanley raised PepsiCo from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $190.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 18th. StockNews.com lowered PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on PepsiCo from $178.00 to $181.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $187.42.

PepsiCo Price Performance

NASDAQ:PEP traded up $1.88 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $177.70. The company had a trading volume of 1,568,584 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,668,263. PepsiCo, Inc. has a one year low of $155.83 and a one year high of $196.88. The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $170.30 and a two-hundred day moving average of $168.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $244.30 billion, a PE ratio of 26.60, a PEG ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.52.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.61 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.52 by $0.09. PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.00% and a return on equity of 57.37%. The firm had revenue of $18.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.08 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.50 EPS. PepsiCo’s revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.16 earnings per share for the current year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 7th will be issued a dividend of $1.355 per share. This represents a $5.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.05%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 7th. This is a positive change from PepsiCo’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.27. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is currently 76.09%.

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.