Mcdonald Partners LLC Sells 7,566 Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP

Mcdonald Partners LLC reduced its stake in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 41.1% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 10,830 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,566 shares during the period. Mcdonald Partners LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $1,521,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 12.4% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 59,392 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,031,000 after buying an additional 6,574 shares during the period. Caxton Associates LLP bought a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the first quarter valued at about $251,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in PepsiCo by 138.5% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 6,527 shares of the company’s stock worth $862,000 after acquiring an additional 3,790 shares in the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. increased its position in PepsiCo by 10.1% during the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 38,164 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,039,000 after purchasing an additional 3,502 shares during the period. Finally, Main Street Research LLC raised its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 13.1% in the 2nd quarter. Main Street Research LLC now owns 2,591 shares of the company’s stock valued at $342,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting PepsiCo

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Launched product innovation — PepsiCo unveiled a protein‑packed Doritos SKU, which supports the company’s strategy to pursue higher‑value, better‑for‑you snacking and could help volume/mix over time. PepsiCo unveils protein-packed Doritos
• Positive Sentiment: Legal win on benefits issue — PepsiCo beat a would‑be class action over a health plan smoker fee, removing one near‑term legal overhang and avoiding potential payouts or liability. PepsiCo Beats Would-be Class Suit Over Health Plan’s Smoker Fee
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic/financial tailwinds highlighted — coverage and commentary (Zacks, and other outlets) continue to portray PEP as a strong growth stock based on diversification and brand strength; that supports longer‑term investor demand. Here’s Why PepsiCo (PEP) is a Strong Growth Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Capital allocation/price target update — RBC raised its price target to $165 but kept a “sector perform” rating, signaling limited near‑term upside even as some analysts tweak estimates. PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) Given New $165.00 Price Target at Royal Bank Of Canada
• Neutral Sentiment: Management moves — an internal marketing promotion (Rajat Paul elevated to marketing manager, global canisters & imports) is a routine corporate update that has limited direct stock impact but signals continuity in brand execution. PepsiCo elevates Rajat Paul to marketing manager- Global canisters & imports
• Negative Sentiment: New shareholder litigation/investigation — an investor alert says law firm Scott+Scott is investigating PepsiCo’s directors and officers for alleged breach of fiduciary duties, a development that raises governance risk and potential legal costs or distraction. PEPSICO, INC. INVESTOR ALERT: Scott+Scott Attorneys at Law LLP Investigates PepsiCo, Inc.’s Directors and Officers for Breach of Fiduciary Duties – PEP
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory/regime uncertainty fueling lawsuits — recent reporting on a shift in SEC enforcement policy has coincided with more investor lawsuits (PepsiCo named among targets), increasing regulatory uncertainty and the risk of additional shareholder actions. Analysis-Trump’s SEC gave companies more power over investors. Lawsuits pushed them back
• Negative Sentiment: Industry demand risk flagged — coverage of peers (MarketBeat on SJM) highlights investor concern around GLP‑1 weight‑loss drugs and potential structural pressure on indulgent snack volumes, a thematic risk that investors are watching for PepsiCo’s snacks franchise. SJM Surges 9%, But Hostess Weakness Clouds Outlook (PEP)

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $154.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. HSBC boosted their price target on PepsiCo from $152.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $190.00 price objective on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $163.00 to $164.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, December 27th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, PepsiCo has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $168.50.

PepsiCo Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ PEP opened at $164.91 on Wednesday. PepsiCo, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $127.60 and a fifty-two week high of $171.48. The company has a market cap of $225.37 billion, a PE ratio of 27.49, a P/E/G ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.85. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $153.98 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $149.07.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 2nd. The company reported $2.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.24 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $29.34 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $28.96 billion. PepsiCo had a net margin of 8.77% and a return on equity of 57.92%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.96 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a dividend of $1.4225 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $5.69 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.5%. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is currently 94.83%.

PepsiCo announced that its board has approved a share buyback program on Tuesday, February 3rd that permits the company to buyback $10.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to buy up to 4.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

PepsiCo Company 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.