Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. Cuts Position in PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP

Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. lowered its holdings in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 16.7% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 21,000 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,200 shares during the period. Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc.’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $2,949,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in PEP. Claris Advisors LLC MO grew its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 14.1% during the second quarter. Claris Advisors LLC MO now owns 2,490 shares of the company’s stock worth $329,000 after buying an additional 308 shares in the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC grew its stake in PepsiCo by 46.4% during the 2nd quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 114,344 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,098,000 after acquiring an additional 36,239 shares in the last quarter. Clayton Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in PepsiCo in the 3rd quarter valued at about $872,000. Naples Global Advisors LLC lifted its stake in PepsiCo by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Naples Global Advisors LLC now owns 26,270 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,469,000 after purchasing an additional 592 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Avantax Advisory Services Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 2.6% during the 2nd quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 185,961 shares of the company’s stock worth $24,554,000 after purchasing an additional 4,627 shares during the last quarter. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PepsiCo Trading Up 2.0%

Shares of PEP stock opened at $148.78 on Wednesday. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 1-year low of $127.60 and a 1-year high of $160.15. The firm has a market cap of $203.43 billion, a PE ratio of 28.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.78 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a 50-day moving average of $145.71 and a two-hundred day moving average of $145.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.72.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 5th were given a $1.4225 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 5th. This represents a $5.69 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.8%. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is presently 108.17%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PEP has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their price objective on PepsiCo from $117.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on PepsiCo from $150.00 to $154.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Friday, October 10th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $172.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $150.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 10th. Finally, Loop Capital set a $164.00 target price on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $159.29.

PepsiCo Profile

PepsiCo, Inc (NASDAQ: PEP) is a multinational food and beverage company headquartered in Purchase, New York. The company develops, manufactures, markets and sells a broad portfolio of branded food and beverage products, including carbonated and noncarbonated soft drinks, bottled water, sports drinks, juices, ready-to-drink teas and coffees, salty snacks, cereals, and other convenient foods. Its leading consumer brands include Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Gatorade, Tropicana, Quaker, Lay’s, Doritos and Cheetos, among others.

Formed through the 1965 merger of Pepsi-Cola and Frito-Lay, PepsiCo has grown into a global business with integrated manufacturing, distribution and marketing operations.