PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP Shares Sold by GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC

GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC trimmed its holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 84.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 1,219 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,549 shares during the period. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $175,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MH & Associates Securities Management Corp ADV purchased a new position in PepsiCo in the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Imprint Wealth LLC purchased a new position in PepsiCo in the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in PepsiCo in the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Strategic Advocates LLC purchased a new position in PepsiCo in the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Highline Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in PepsiCo by 56.3% in the fourth quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 250 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the period. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PEP has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wall Street Zen lowered PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 18th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on PepsiCo from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. UBS Group lowered their price target on PepsiCo from $190.00 to $186.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. BNP Paribas Exane raised their price target on PepsiCo from $191.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their price target on PepsiCo from $172.00 to $181.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, PepsiCo has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $170.11.

Key Headlines Impacting PepsiCo

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo extended and revised its licensing and bottling arrangements with Varun Beverages in India through 2049, while also giving the partner more freedom to pursue non-PepsiCo ventures. The longer-term deal should help protect distribution in a key growth market and reduce partnership uncertainty. Varun Beverages, PepsiCo revise licencing deal
• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo is also being highlighted by market commentary as a strong growth stock and a defensive blue-chip income name, reinforcing investor interest in the company’s earnings stability and dividend profile. Here’s Why PepsiCo (PEP) is a Strong Growth Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: PepsiCo launched new products and initiatives, including a functional ready-to-drink tea and a greenhouse program in Asia-Pacific, which support its innovation story but are unlikely to move the stock on their own. PepsiCo adds functional RTD tea
• Neutral Sentiment: The company is also moving ahead with sustainability and regenerative agriculture efforts, which may help long-term brand positioning but are not immediate earnings catalysts. PepsiCo enters regen ag pact with LDC
• Negative Sentiment: Industry coverage continues to flag margin pressure from higher sugar, packaging and freight costs, along with tariff uncertainty. That backdrop could weigh on profitability for PepsiCo and other soft drink makers if costs stay elevated. 5 Soft Drinks Stocks to Track Amid Margin & Tariff Pressures
• Negative Sentiment: PepsiCo said it will raise prices on some smaller chip bags to offset increased costs. While this may help margins, it can also pressure volume and suggests inflation remains a headwind. Lay’s and Doritos maker to raise prices on small bags of chips

PepsiCo Trading Up 1.2%

PEP opened at $150.57 on Friday. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 52 week low of $127.60 and a 52 week high of $171.48. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $154.17 and a 200-day simple moving average of $152.45. The firm has a market cap of $205.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The company reported $1.61 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.55 by $0.06. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 56.61% and a net margin of 9.15%.The business had revenue of $19.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.89 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.48 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.63 earnings per share for the current year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, June 5th will be issued a $1.48 dividend. This represents a $5.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.9%. This is a boost from PepsiCo’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.42. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 5th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 89.32%.

PepsiCo declared that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Tuesday, February 3rd that authorizes the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 4.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s management 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.