Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. Increases Holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 6.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,040,930 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 63,168 shares during the quarter. PepsiCo accounts for about 0.7% of Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest holding. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned about 0.08% of PepsiCo worth $176,792,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA increased its holdings in PepsiCo by 80.5% in the fourth quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA now owns 157 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Life Planning Partners Inc acquired a new position in PepsiCo in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Naples Money Management LLC purchased a new position in PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth approximately $36,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, Avion Wealth raised its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 61.7% during the 4th quarter. Avion Wealth now owns 241 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 92 shares during the period. 73.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PepsiCo Stock Down 0.7 %

PepsiCo stock traded down $1.28 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $177.99. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,447,389 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,466,001. The company has a market cap of $244.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.87, a P/E/G ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.52. 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 business has a 50-day simple moving average of $174.31 and a 200-day simple moving average of $170.06. PepsiCo, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $155.83 and a fifty-two week high of $192.38.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last issued 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 business had revenue of $18.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.08 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.50 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Ramkumar Krishnan sold 5,620 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.00, for a total value of $1,000,360.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 53,953 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,603,634. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.15% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $180.00 target price on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Citigroup upgraded PepsiCo from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $180.00 to $195.00 in a report on Monday, February 12th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on PepsiCo from $209.00 to $211.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on PepsiCo from $178.00 to $181.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded PepsiCo from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $190.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, March 18th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $187.58.

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.