PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) Shares Acquired Rep. Julia Letlow

Representative Julia Letlow (Republican-Louisiana) recently bought shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP). In a filing disclosed on March 12th, the Representative disclosed that they had bought between $1,001 and $15,000 in PepsiCo stock on February 5th. The trade occurred in the Representative’s “MERRILL LYNCH INVESTMENT ACCOUNT #025” account.

Representative Julia Letlow also recently made the following trade(s):

• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of HF Sinclair (NYSE:DINO) on 2/20/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of BXP (NYSE:BXP) on 2/20/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) on 2/20/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Expand Energy (NASDAQ:EXE) on 2/17/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Public Service Enterprise Group (NYSE:PEG) on 2/17/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Vistra (NYSE:VST) on 2/17/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:REGN) on 2/12/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Icon (NASDAQ:ICLR) on 2/12/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Extra Space Storage (NYSE:EXR) on 2/12/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of AT&T (NYSE:T) on 2/12/2026.

PepsiCo Stock Up 0.8%

NASDAQ PEP traded up $1.14 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $151.73. 4,971,132 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,108,115. 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 company has a market capitalization of $207.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.39. The company’s 50-day moving average is $158.55 and its two-hundred day moving average is $149.96. PepsiCo, Inc. has a one year low of $127.60 and a one year high of $171.48.

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

PepsiCo declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, February 3rd that allows the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 4.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a $1.4225 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $5.69 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.8%. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is currently 94.83%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in PEP. Captrust Financial Advisors grew its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 3.6% during the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 554,798 shares of the company’s stock worth $77,916,000 after purchasing an additional 19,218 shares in the last quarter. Clayton Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in PepsiCo in the third quarter valued at approximately $872,000. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. lifted its position in PepsiCo by 2.6% during the second quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 185,961 shares of the company’s stock valued at $24,554,000 after purchasing an additional 4,627 shares during the last quarter. Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc. grew its stake in PepsiCo by 622.3% in the 4th quarter. Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc. now owns 35,603 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,110,000 after buying an additional 30,674 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kathmere Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 122.6% in the 3rd quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 20,365 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,860,000 after buying an additional 11,217 shares during the last quarter. 73.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting PepsiCo

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo launched a global “Pepsi Football Nation” platform aimed at fan culture and engagement — a marketing push that can drive brand visibility, seasonal promotional sales and incremental beverage/snack volume around major football events. Pepsi Football Nation
• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo is expanding AI across its China operations as part of a broader global push — applications include supply‑chain optimization, pricing analytics and demand forecasting, which should help margins and working‑capital efficiency over time. PepsiCo bets on AI in China
• Positive Sentiment: Positive analyst narratives — Zacks highlights PepsiCo as a top long‑term growth stock and other outlets include it among beaten‑down dividend aristocrats to consider, reinforcing buy/accumulate sentiment among income and quality growth investors. Zacks: Top Growth Stock 247WallSt: Dividend Aristocrats
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage on pricing and 2026 growth outlook is shifting — articles note pricing tailwinds are normalizing, so near‑term growth expectations may be tempered even as longer‑term brand/innovation initiatives persist. This is mixed for valuation and near‑term earnings momentum. Yahoo: Investment Story Shifting
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest reports in recent feeds show anomalous/zero values and appear to be data errors — no clear evidence of a material increase in bearish positioning to influence trading. Monitor updated filings for clarity.
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry context: Coca‑Cola articles point to margin pressure as pricing normalizes in 2026 — competitor dynamics could create both risks and opportunities for PepsiCo depending on regional volume and pricing execution. Coca‑Cola margin pressure

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on PEP. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on PepsiCo from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $148.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $163.00 to $164.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. Finally, Evercore lifted their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $152.00 to $165.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $169.00.

About Representative Letlow

Julia Letlow (Republican Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Louisiana’s 5th Congressional District. She assumed office on April 14, 2021. Her current term ends on January 3, 2027.

Letlow (Republican Party) is running for re-election to the U.S. House to represent Louisiana’s 5th Congressional District. She declared candidacy for the primary scheduled on November 3, 2026.

Julia Letlow earned a doctorate. Letlow’s career experience includes working as a senior administrator with the University of Louisiana at Monroe.

About PepsiCo

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.