PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP Shares Acquired by Bell Bank

Bell Bank raised its position in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 23.3% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 83,997 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 15,858 shares during the quarter. Bell Bank’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $10,644,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Onyx Bridge Wealth Group LLC boosted its stake in PepsiCo by 2.5% in the first quarter. Onyx Bridge Wealth Group LLC now owns 2,673 shares of the company’s stock valued at $415,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC increased its holdings in PepsiCo by 3.3% during the first quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC now owns 2,040 shares of the company’s stock worth $317,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Richards Merrill & Peterson Inc. raised its stake in PepsiCo by 3.6% in the first quarter. Richards Merrill & Peterson Inc. now owns 1,938 shares of the company’s stock valued at $301,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the period. Partners Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 3.5% during the 1st quarter. Partners Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,998 shares of the company’s stock worth $310,000 after buying an additional 68 shares during the period. Finally, Pittenger & Anderson Inc. increased its position in PepsiCo by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. now owns 24,895 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,866,000 after buying an additional 69 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on PEP. Freedom Broker upgraded PepsiCo from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, October 10th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of PepsiCo from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on PepsiCo from $138.00 to $137.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 9th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on PepsiCo from $159.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $165.00 price target on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Thursday, October 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, PepsiCo currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $144.37.

Key Headlines Impacting PepsiCo

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly performance and turnaround efforts: PepsiCo’s third-quarter earnings reportedly exceeded expectations, placing PEP-heavy exchange-traded funds in focus. The company is also pursuing cost reductions and revenue-growth initiatives, including efforts to revitalize its ready-to-drink tea business. Will PepsiCo’s Q3 Turnaround Boost These ETFs? RTD Tea Growth Strategies
• Positive Sentiment: Insider support: A PepsiCo director reportedly bought 184,646 shares in a trust-related transaction. While the trade may not reflect an open-market purchase, it could still be viewed as a sign of confidence in the company’s valuation. PepsiCo Director Buys Shares
• Neutral Sentiment: AI initiatives: PepsiCo executives are pushing back against pessimism about artificial intelligence and considering how productivity gains should benefit employees. The comments suggest potential long-term efficiency benefits, but provide no immediate earnings guidance. Executives Push Back on AI Doom
• Neutral Sentiment: Income appeal: PepsiCo’s roughly 4.2% yield remains attractive to income-oriented investors, although taxable dividend income may compare less favorably with tax-exempt municipal bonds for some retirees. PepsiCo Yield and Municipal Bonds
• Negative Sentiment: Plant closure and demand concerns: PepsiCo is closing its Knoxville, Tennessee, bottling facility, affecting 122 workers, amid a reported soda slump. The move may reduce costs over time but highlights softer demand and near-term restructuring disruption. PepsiCo Shutters Tennessee Bottling Plant
• Negative Sentiment: Lower outlook and competitive pressure: PepsiCo cut its fiscal 2026 core EPS-growth outlook to 2.5%–3.5% as input costs, softer U.S. performance and margin pressure weigh on results. The loss of KFC’s U.S. beverage contract to Coca-Cola beginning in 2027 adds another setback. Lowered Earnings Outlook

PepsiCo Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of PepsiCo stock opened at $134.02 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $182.63 billion, a PE ratio of 16.84, a P/E/G ratio of 3.98 and a beta of 0.35. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 1-year low of $123.47 and a 1-year high of $171.48. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $134.27 and its 200-day simple moving average is $141.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.76.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 7th. The company reported $2.34 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.29 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $25.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $24.95 billion. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 53.08% and a net margin of 11.09%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.29 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Robert Pohlad bought 184,646 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 14th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $128.28 per share, for a total transaction of $23,686,388.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 433,009 shares in the company, valued at $55,546,394.52. This trade represents a 74.35% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP David Flavell sold 2,900 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.54, for a total transaction of $404,666.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 74,825 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,441,080.50. The trade was a 3.73% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.12% of the stock is owned by insiders.

PepsiCo Company Profile

PepsiCo, Inc (NASDAQ:PEP) is a global food and beverage company whose portfolio includes Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Gatorade, Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos, Quaker, Tostitos, Fritos, and SodaStream. Its products span carbonated soft drinks, sports and energy beverages, bottled water, juices, convenient foods, snacks, and other packaged food offerings.

The company sells products through retail stores, restaurants, food-service providers, e-commerce platforms, and other distribution channels. PepsiCo serves consumers in North America and international markets across Latin America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific.