Its high P/E is a risk factor

Article Excerpt

PEPSICO INC. $185 is a hold. The company (Nasdaq symbol PEP; Conservative-Growth Dividend Payer Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 1.4 billion; Market cap: $259.0 billion; Dividend yield: 2.7%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.pepsico.com) is the world’s second-largest soft-drink maker after Coca-Cola. Its other brands include Frito-Lay snacks, Gatorade sports drinks, Tropicana fruit juices and Quaker Oats cereals. PepsiCo will raise your quarterly dividend by 10.0% with the June 2023 payment. The new annual rate of $5.06 a share yields 2.7%. Higher selling prices will probably lift the company’s 2023 sales by 8%. The company also expects earnings for all of 2023 to improve about 9%, to $7.27 a share. The stock trades at 25.4 times that estimate. That’s a somewhat high multiple as rising inflation could prompt consumers to switch to cheaper brands of sodas and snacks. PepsiCo is a hold. hold…