PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP Shares Sold by Franklin Resources Inc.

Franklin Resources Inc. lessened its position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 15,060,657 shares of the company’s stock after selling 516,416 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $2,115,119,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in PepsiCo by 12.4% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 59,392 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,031,000 after purchasing an additional 6,574 shares in the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP purchased a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the 1st quarter worth approximately $251,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 138.5% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 6,527 shares of the company’s stock valued at $862,000 after buying an additional 3,790 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. boosted its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 10.1% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 38,164 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,039,000 after buying an additional 3,502 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 16.9% in the second quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 100,592 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,282,000 after buying an additional 14,544 shares in the last quarter. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

PepsiCo Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of PEP stock opened at $160.78 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $219.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.80, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06. PepsiCo, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $127.60 and a fifty-two week high of $171.48. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $155.72 and a 200-day simple moving average of $149.45.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 2nd. The company reported $2.26 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.24 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $29.34 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.96 billion. PepsiCo had a net margin of 8.77% and a return on equity of 57.92%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.96 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Tuesday, February 3rd that authorizes the company to buyback $10.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 4.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be issued a $1.4225 dividend. This represents a $5.69 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is 94.83%.

Key Stories Impacting PepsiCo

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Short sellers trimmed positions sharply in February—short interest fell ~29.7% to ~20.84M shares, leaving only ~1.5% of float short and a short?interest ratio near 3.1 days; reduced short pressure can limit downside volatility.
• Positive Sentiment: Recent quarterly results showed an EPS beat ($2.26 vs $2.24 est.) and revenue above expectations with revenue up ~5.6% year?over?year, supporting the company’s 2026 turnaround messaging.
• Positive Sentiment: New product and brand moves continue: PepsiCo launched protein Doritos, expanding into higher?margin/health?adjacent snack formats. PepsiCo launches protein Doritos
• Positive Sentiment: Brand extension: PepsiCo opened a Lay’s?branded restaurant concept in Madrid, a retail/marketing play that can boost brand engagement and provide new direct?to?consumer learnings. PepsiCo opens first Lay’s-branded restaurant in Spain
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts’ fair?value models moved only slightly (e.g., to ~$170.81), reflecting a mix of confidence in the turnaround but caution—small changes, not a broad re?rating. How PepsiCo (PEP) Narrative Is Evolving Around 2026 Turnaround Goals And Fair Value
• Neutral Sentiment: Long?term category trends (healthy/plant?based foods, oats growth) support product innovation opportunities for PepsiCo but represent multi?year upside rather than immediate earnings drivers. United States Healthy Foods Analysis Report 2025: A $400+ Billion Market by 2033, Driven by Plant-Based Nutrition, Functional Foods and Rapid Growth of Online Health Food Retail
• Neutral Sentiment: Dividend safety comparisons with Coca?Cola are being re?examined by outlets, keeping investors focused on balance?sheet and cash?flow metrics rather than changing the near?term trade. Coke vs Pepsi: Which Dividend Is Actually Safer?
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive pressure: Coca?Cola has posted a strong run (KO up sharply over the past month), which can shift sector flows and investor preference away from PepsiCo in the near term. Coca-Cola Stock Rises 12.5% in a Month: Buy the Rally or Wait?
• Negative Sentiment: Activist attention on slower?growing packaged?food names remains a risk for the sector (calls for cost cuts, portfolio changes) and could increase pressure on PepsiCo’s stock if investor activism intensifies. Activist Investors Target Food Companies as Growth Slows. Lamb Weston Is the Latest.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have issued reports on PEP shares. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on PepsiCo from $156.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of PepsiCo from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $170.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $164.00 to $176.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, PepsiCo currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $168.50.

About PepsiCo

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.