PepsiCo Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NASDAQ:PEP)

PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) saw unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Stock investors purchased 53,995 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 33% compared to the average volume of 40,619 call options.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on PEP shares. Barclays cut their price objective on PepsiCo from $143.00 to $135.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Evercore ISI set a $140.00 price target on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Thursday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $158.00 to $159.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $175.00 to $169.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $155.00 to $150.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $159.75.

PepsiCo Price Performance

PEP stock opened at $128.22 on Friday. PepsiCo has a 1 year low of $127.60 and a 1 year high of $180.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.13, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $175.80 billion, a PE ratio of 18.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.68 and a beta of 0.45. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $132.07 and a 200-day simple moving average of $143.22.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.49 by ($0.01). PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.24% and a return on equity of 58.28%. The company had revenue of $17.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.81 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.61 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that PepsiCo will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 6th will be paid a dividend of $1.4225 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 6th. This is an increase from PepsiCo’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.36. This represents a $5.69 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.44%. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is 83.68%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On PepsiCo

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Nova Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in PepsiCo in the first quarter worth approximately $25,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Elite Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the 1st quarter worth $28,000. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. purchased a new stake in PepsiCo in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.