Sterling Capital Management LLC Sells 8,406 Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP

Sterling Capital Management LLC lessened its position in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 2.7% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 308,084 shares of the company’s stock after selling 8,406 shares during the period. PepsiCo makes up 0.9% of Sterling Capital Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. Sterling Capital Management LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $47,842,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Gunpowder Capital Management LLC dba Oliver Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Swiss RE Ltd. bought a new stake in PepsiCo in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. MH & Associates Securities Management Corp ADV acquired a new position in PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Imprint Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Strategic Advocates LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting PepsiCo

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo’s brand and growth efforts are getting fresh visibility, including marketing around “modern soda,” dirty-soda products, and broader consumer engagement. These trends could support beverage demand and help the company defend share in a changing soft-drink market.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support remains constructive overall: Citigroup kept a Buy rating even after trimming its price target to $170, implying meaningful upside from current levels. That helps reassure investors that the stock still looks attractively valued despite recent weakness.
• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo continues to stand out as a diversified dividend stock, with coverage highlighting its 54-year streak of dividend growth. For income-oriented investors, that long track record can provide support ahead of earnings. Article Title

PepsiCo Price Performance

PEP stock opened at $141.39 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.90. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $148.40 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $152.01. The company has a market capitalization of $193.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.35. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 52-week low of $128.11 and a 52-week high of $171.48.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The company reported $1.61 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.55 by $0.06. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 56.61% and a net margin of 9.15%.The company had revenue of $19.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.89 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.48 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 5th will be issued a $1.48 dividend. This is an increase from PepsiCo’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.42. This represents a $5.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 5th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is currently 92.94%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently issued reports on PEP shares. Evercore increased their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $165.00 to $170.00 in a research note on Friday, April 17th. HSBC upped their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $175.00 to $176.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on PepsiCo in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $143.00 target price for the company. Barclays increased their price target on PepsiCo from $154.00 to $158.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price objective on PepsiCo from $182.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $166.85.

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.