PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) Stock Rating Upgraded by Sanford C. Bernstein

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) was upgraded by stock analysts at Sanford C. Bernstein to a “hold” rating in a research report issued on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other brokerages also recently weighed in on PEP. Piper Sandler decreased their price target on PepsiCo from $181.00 to $178.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday. UBS Group decreased their price target on PepsiCo from $190.00 to $186.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on PepsiCo from $172.00 to $178.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Wall Street Zen cut PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 18th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on PepsiCo from $165.00 to $163.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $167.35.

PepsiCo Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ PEP opened at $144.27 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.72. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $151.11 and a 200 day moving average price of $152.37. PepsiCo has a 1-year low of $127.60 and a 1-year high of $171.48. The company has a market cap of $197.18 billion, a PE ratio of 22.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.35.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The company reported $1.61 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.55 by $0.06. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 56.61% and a net margin of 9.15%.The firm had revenue of $19.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.89 billion. During the same period 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. Sell-side analysts forecast that PepsiCo will post 8.63 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA increased its position in shares of PepsiCo by 8.5% in the first quarter. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA now owns 2,235 shares of the company’s stock valued at $347,000 after buying an additional 176 shares in the last quarter. Evansbrook LLC increased its position in shares of PepsiCo by 13.5% in the first quarter. Evansbrook LLC now owns 3,179 shares of the company’s stock valued at $494,000 after buying an additional 377 shares in the last quarter. Wealthquest Corp purchased a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the first quarter valued at $219,000. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of PepsiCo by 6.2% in the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 57,425 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,918,000 after buying an additional 3,339 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Nebraska Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the first quarter valued at $10,782,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about PepsiCo

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo continues to expand its autonomous freight network with Gatik, a move that could improve logistics efficiency and help address staffing challenges in hard-to-serve routes. How PepsiCo’s Driverless Freight Rollout With Gatik (PEP) Has Changed Its Investment Story
• Positive Sentiment: The company also highlighted sustainability-focused farmer financing through Compeer Financial, which supports PepsiCo’s supply chain and long-term agricultural sourcing strategy. Compeer Financial Collaborates with PepsiCo to Provide Strip-Till Equipment Financing
• Neutral Sentiment: PepsiCo was included in a Q1 review of beverage, alcohol, and tobacco stocks, but the article was primarily a peer comparison and did not indicate a major new catalyst. Beverages, Alcohol, and Tobacco Stocks Q1 In Review: PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) Vs Peers
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst estimate changes were modest, with Erste Group trimming FY2027 EPS slightly to $9.14 from $9.15, suggesting limited impact on the outlook.
• Negative Sentiment: TD Cowen cut its price target on PepsiCo to $150 from $165 and kept a hold rating, signaling more cautious near-term sentiment on the stock. TD Cowen adjusts PepsiCo price target to 150 from 165
• Negative Sentiment: Piper Sandler also lowered its price target on PepsiCo to $178 from $181, reinforcing the view that analysts see only limited upside from here. Piper Sandler adjusts price target on PepsiCo to 178 from 181

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.