EP Wealth Advisors LLC Takes $50.35 Million Position in PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP

EP Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm bought 371,842 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $50,347,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of PEP. M1 Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the second quarter valued at approximately $926,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. bought a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $324,000. Bard Associates Inc. acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $218,000. Pinnacle West Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in PepsiCo in the 2nd quarter valued at $795,000. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC acquired a new stake in PepsiCo during the 2nd quarter valued at $33,344,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

Key PepsiCo News

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer highlighted PepsiCo as a defensive large-cap opportunity, citing its roughly 4% dividend yield and the potential benefit of lower oil prices. Cheaper fuel could support consumer spending and reduce transportation and operating costs. Jim Cramer Shares Why PepsiCo Caught His Eye During Consumer Headwinds
• Positive Sentiment: Investors remain attracted to PepsiCo’s 54-year record of consecutive dividend increases and comparatively reasonable valuation. Improving international results could help offset continuing weakness in North America, supporting the case for income-oriented investors. Most Investors Overlook This. I’m Buying PepsiCo for Its Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo is pursuing growth beyond its traditional snack portfolio by introducing and emphasizing global flavors, a strategy that could broaden consumer appeal and create new avenues for international growth. PepsiCo Bets on Global Flavors to Grow Beyond Snacks
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary describing consumer staples as a lagging sector frames PepsiCo as a value opportunity rather than a near-term growth leader. The investment appeal depends on the stock’s discounted valuation, dividend support and execution on its recovery plans. The Consumer Staples Sector Is Lagging the S&P 500
• Negative Sentiment: Texas authorities are investigating PepsiCo and Kraft Heinz over claims involving avocado oil. The outcome and scope of the investigation are unclear, but regulatory scrutiny could create legal, reputational or product-related costs. PepsiCo, Kraft Heinz Under Investigation in Texas Over Avocado Oil Claims
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts note that PepsiCo’s dividend faces pressure from slower growth, persistent North American weakness and a more difficult recovery than the commodity-driven risks facing Chevron. This raises questions about future payout growth, despite the company’s long dividend history. Chevron or PepsiCo: Whose Dividend Is Standing on Thinner Ice?

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on PEP shares. UBS Group set a $159.00 price objective on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $134.00 target price on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $150.00 to $140.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Citigroup cut shares of PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $170.00 to $145.00 in a report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $155.00 price objective on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, PepsiCo presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $157.90.

Insider Buying and Selling at PepsiCo

In related news, EVP David Flavell sold 2,900 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.54, for a total transaction of $404,666.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 74,825 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,441,080.50. This trade represents a 3.73% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

PEP opened at $141.07 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.91, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 0.93. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 52-week low of $133.73 and a 52-week high of $171.48. The firm has a market cap of $192.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.35. The business’s fifty day moving average is $139.86 and its 200-day moving average is $149.51.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 9th. The company reported $2.20 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.19 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $24.18 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.95 billion. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 54.63% and a net margin of 10.78%.PepsiCo’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.92 earnings per share. PepsiCo has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.550-8.710 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 4th will be issued a dividend of $1.48 per share. This represents a $5.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 4th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is 77.59%.

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.