Shakespeare Wealth Management LLC Makes New Investment in PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP

Shakespeare Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund acquired 18,145 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,299,000. PepsiCo accounts for about 0.4% of Shakespeare Wealth Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest position.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of PEP. BlackRock Inc. raised its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 2.1% in the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 118,281,854 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,015,363,000 after buying an additional 2,440,377 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 1.7% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 60,406,932 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,179,099,000 after buying an additional 987,582 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 0.6% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 21,283,701 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,305,146,000 after buying an additional 133,325 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 4.9% during the second quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 11,817,684 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,600,114,000 after buying an additional 549,336 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi grew its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 16.8% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 11,444,671 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,777,243,000 after buying an additional 1,647,506 shares during the last quarter. 73.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Friday, October 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on PepsiCo from $138.00 to $137.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 9th. Weiss Ratings downgraded PepsiCo from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 24th. TD Cowen dropped their target price on PepsiCo from $145.00 to $133.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, September 28th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on PepsiCo from $140.00 to $135.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $143.28.

PepsiCo Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of PEP opened at $132.63 on Thursday. PepsiCo, Inc. has a twelve month low of $123.47 and a twelve month high of $171.48. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $180.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.66, a PEG ratio of 4.06 and a beta of 0.35. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $133.76 and its two-hundred day moving average is $145.93.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 7th. The company reported $2.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.29 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $25.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $24.95 billion. PepsiCo had a net margin of 11.09% and a return on equity of 53.08%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.29 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at PepsiCo

In other news, Director Robert Pohlad acquired 184,646 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 14th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $128.28 per share, with a total value of $23,686,388.88. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 433,009 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $55,546,394.52. This trade represents a 74.35% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Ramon Laguarta sold 30,000 shares of PepsiCo stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.13, for a total value of $4,053,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 491,645 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $66,435,988.85. This represents a 5.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about PepsiCo

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo’s discounted valuation and dividend yield of approximately 4.3% could support a recovery. Analysts at Morningstar reportedly see greater upside in PepsiCo than Coca-Cola because of the lower valuation and potential for an operational rebound. Coca-Cola Vs. PepsiCo: Which Beverage Giant Offers Stronger Upside After Q3 Earnings?
• Positive Sentiment: The company is pursuing a North American reset centered on cost reductions, renewed brand investment and portfolio innovation. Successful execution could improve margins and revive growth. Its long-running dividend increases also reinforce PepsiCo’s appeal to defensive-income investors. PepsiCo’s North America Reset: Can Cost Cuts Restore Growth?
• Positive Sentiment: Taco Bell is maintaining its relationship with PepsiCo and Mountain Dew, including Baja Blast, preserving an important restaurant-channel partnership. PepsiCo is also working with Grimme on virtual potato-harvesting technology designed to protect quality and reduce waste.
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary emphasizes that PepsiCo’s brands and staple products tend to remain resilient during economic slowdowns, but dividend reliability and long-term growth prospects vary across beverage companies. Coca-Cola has delivered stronger recent share-price performance despite PepsiCo’s higher yield. 3 Beverage Stocks With Dependable Brands
• Negative Sentiment: North America remains the central problem: stagnant demand, consumer pressure and elevated costs have prompted the reset. An activist investor’s involvement adds pressure for faster operational improvement and could increase uncertainty around strategy. PepsiCo Hasn’t Been This Cheap Relative to Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Reports of an ?8,000 payout related to a Lay’s packet-weight dispute create a minor legal and reputational overhang, while KFC’s decision to drop Pepsi signals some restaurant-channel weakness.

About PepsiCo

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.