JPMorgan Chase & Co. Boosts PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) Price Target to $181.00

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) had its price objective hoisted by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $178.00 to $181.00 in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday morning, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a neutral rating on the stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on PEP. Morgan Stanley raised shares of PepsiCo from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and set a $190.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, March 18th. Argus lowered shares of PepsiCo from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $199.00 to $209.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Friday, April 5th. StockNews.com lowered shares of PepsiCo from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Monday, February 12th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $181.00 to $184.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, PepsiCo currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $187.42.

PepsiCo Price Performance

PepsiCo stock opened at $175.58 on Wednesday. PepsiCo has a 52-week low of $155.83 and a 52-week high of $196.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $241.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.40, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $169.40 and a 200-day simple moving average of $167.86. The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $18.08 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.50 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that PepsiCo will post 8.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st were given a dividend of $1.265 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $5.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.88%. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is presently 76.09%.

Institutional Trading of PepsiCo

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in PEP. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA raised 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 acquiring an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC raised its holdings in PepsiCo by 100.0% in the fourth quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC now owns 194 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Life Planning Partners Inc acquired a new stake in PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in PepsiCo in the first quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Naples Money Management LLC acquired a new stake in PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

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.