CTC Alternative Strategies Ltd. Cuts Stake in PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP

CTC Alternative Strategies Ltd. reduced its position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 34.7% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 6,881 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,659 shares during the period. PepsiCo accounts for 1.2% of CTC Alternative Strategies Ltd.’s portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest position. CTC Alternative Strategies Ltd.’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $966,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Allworth Financial LP grew its holdings in PepsiCo by 6.6% during the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 80,416 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,294,000 after acquiring an additional 4,978 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc raised its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 5.1% in the 3rd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 20,191 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,836,000 after purchasing an additional 977 shares in the last quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd lifted its position in shares of PepsiCo by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 372,936 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,375,000 after purchasing an additional 3,730 shares during the period. Stillwater Wealth Management Group bought a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the third quarter valued at approximately $308,000. Finally, Tevis Investment Management boosted its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 7.3% during the third quarter. Tevis Investment Management now owns 9,459 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,328,000 after purchasing an additional 644 shares in the last quarter. 73.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key PepsiCo News

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Piper Sandler raised its price target to $181 (from $172) and kept an Overweight rating, citing pricing power and innovation tailwinds that support medium-term earnings and dividend appeal. Piper Sandler Stays Bullish on PepsiCo (PEP)
• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo India launched an EV “green corridor” to cut supply‑chain emissions and logistics cost over time — a sustainability push that can reduce fuel expense and improve ESG metrics in a high-growth emerging market. PepsiCo India expands green logistics
• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo was named the official beverage partner for Venu’s Sunset Amphitheater portfolio, gaining venue distribution and brand exposure at live events — a volume/marketing channel boost for beverage sales. PepsiCo Named Official Beverage Partner of VENU
• Positive Sentiment: Varun Beverages (an India-based Pepsi bottler) is pursuing an acquisition in South Africa to diversify its portfolio into new categories — a potential long-term growth lever for PepsiCo’s bottling system. Varun Beverages lines up another acquisition in South Africa
• Positive Sentiment: Pepsi became an official beverage and entertainment partner for HBL‑PSL (cricket league), expanding regional sponsorships and stadium/consumer reach in South Asian markets. Pepsi joins HBL-PSL as official beverage and entertainment partner
• Neutral Sentiment: PepsiCo set its Q1 2026 earnings release date for April 16 — a scheduled catalyst that could move the stock depending on top/bottom‑line results and guidance. PepsiCo Announces Timing of First-Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Legislation to expand SNAP to Puerto Rico (S.3958) was introduced — a long‑run demand tail that could modestly affect beverage/snack consumption in the territory if enacted. New Bill: Puerto Rico Nutrition Assistance Fairness Act
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst/market commentary comparing Coca‑Cola vs. PepsiCo highlights tradeoffs (stability vs. upside); useful for positioning but not an immediate stock mover. Coca‑Cola vs. PepsiCo: Which One Will Make You Richer?
• Negative Sentiment: Coca‑Cola’s Sprite reclaimed the NBA soft‑drink sponsorship from PepsiCo’s Starry — a loss of league-level exposure for PepsiCo’s citrus brand that could dent targeted marketing effectiveness in a high‑value channel. Coke’s Sprite Takes Back NBA Sponsorship From PepsiCo’s Starry
• Negative Sentiment: An Elliott‑led overhaul (cost cuts, portfolio pruning, leadership changes) plus a reported fiduciary/antitrust probe create short‑term execution and governance risk that investors may punish despite potential long‑term upside from efficiency gains. How Elliott-Driven Overhaul and Health Push Could Reshape PepsiCo

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of PepsiCo from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 7th. Citigroup lifted their price target on PepsiCo from $170.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on PepsiCo from $156.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on PepsiCo from $154.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their target price on PepsiCo from $120.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $169.00.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

Shares of PEP stock opened at $153.54 on Thursday. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 12-month low of $127.60 and a 12-month high of $171.48. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $157.75 and its 200-day simple moving average is $149.87. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06. The company has a market cap of $209.84 billion, a PE ratio of 25.59, a PEG ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.39.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 2nd. The company reported $2.26 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $28.96 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.96 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The business 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. This represents a $5.69 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 94.83%.

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

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.