Schmidt P J Investment Management Inc. Lowers Stock Position in PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP

Schmidt P J Investment Management Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 7.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 49,748 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,020 shares during the period. PepsiCo comprises 1.2% of Schmidt P J Investment Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. Schmidt P J Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $6,987,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of PEP. Claris Advisors LLC MO raised its stake in PepsiCo by 14.1% in the 2nd quarter. Claris Advisors LLC MO now owns 2,490 shares of the company’s stock valued at $329,000 after purchasing an additional 308 shares during the last quarter. Foster Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 4.6% during the second quarter. Foster Group Inc. now owns 5,169 shares of the company’s stock worth $683,000 after buying an additional 229 shares in the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of PepsiCo by 46.4% in the second quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 114,344 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,098,000 after buying an additional 36,239 shares during the last quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. lifted its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 2.5% during the second quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 25,309 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,342,000 after buying an additional 620 shares during the period. Finally, Clayton Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in PepsiCo during the third quarter worth approximately $872,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

PepsiCo stock opened at $141.36 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $193.29 billion, a PE ratio of 26.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.58 and a beta of 0.42. PepsiCo, Inc. has a one year low of $127.60 and a one year high of $160.15. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $145.38 and its 200 day moving average price is $144.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.91.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 5th were issued a dividend of $1.4225 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 5th. This represents a $5.69 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.0%. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is currently 108.17%.

Key Stories Impacting PepsiCo

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts lifting price targets and upgrade commentary — Citi recently raised its target (reported in coverage roundups) and several outlets highlighted analyst bullishness, supporting buyer demand. Analysts Positive on PepsiCo
• Positive Sentiment: Multi-year collaboration with NVIDIA and Siemens to deploy digital twins and AI across plants and supply chain — investors see this as a structural cost/margin improvement and a catalyst for productivity gains over time. PepsiCo Partners with Siemens and NVIDIA
• Positive Sentiment: Sector commentary and valuation framing — several pieces (Seeking Alpha/Zacks summaries) argue PEP is cheaper after recent weakness and can expand margins while maintaining a high yield, which attracts income-oriented and value investors. Rating Upgrade / Valuation Take
• Neutral Sentiment: Operational initiatives and hires — PepsiCo appointed a new VP for Strategy & Transformation in India/South Asia and is publicly integrating AI into production; these are constructive for long-term execution but are not immediate earnings drivers. PepsiCo hires Nishant Gupta PepsiCo Integrates AI
• Neutral Sentiment: Short interest data shows no actionable short-pressure signal (reported short-interest reads as zero and appears anomalous), so short-covering is unlikely to be a material intraday driver. (Data item reported 1/12/2026)
• Negative Sentiment: PFNA / core snack volumes are uneven — Zacks flags pressure from value sensitivity and shifting preferences that could constrain near-term top-line growth in snack categories, which keeps some investors cautious on near-term EPS upside. PFNA Volumes Pressure

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on PepsiCo from $165.00 to $167.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 10th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $172.00 target price on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on PepsiCo from $150.00 to $154.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research note on Friday, October 10th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $142.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $158.68.

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.