WJ Financial Advisors LLC Purchases New Position in PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP

WJ Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm acquired 4,814 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $676,000.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Clayton Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $872,000. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. increased its stake in PepsiCo by 2.6% during the second quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 185,961 shares of the company’s stock worth $24,554,000 after acquiring an additional 4,627 shares during the last quarter. Family Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the 2nd quarter valued at $401,000. Kathmere Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 122.6% during the 3rd quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 20,365 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,860,000 after purchasing an additional 11,217 shares during the period. Finally, Pinnacle Associates Ltd. increased its position in shares of PepsiCo by 9.7% during the 2nd quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 152,193 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,096,000 after purchasing an additional 13,517 shares during the last quarter. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting PepsiCo

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target to $160 after PepsiCo’s earnings (keeps an Equal Weight rating), reflecting model updates post‑report and supporting near‑term valuation. PepsiCo, Inc. (PEP) Price Target Increased to $160 at Barclays Post-Earnings Update
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and pieces highlighting PepsiCo’s earnings quality and stability are bolstering investor comfort after the quarter — small EPS and revenue beats reinforce the company’s predictable cash generation. Investors Can Find Comfort In PepsiCo’s (NASDAQ:PEP) Earnings Quality
• Positive Sentiment: Momentum: PEP has rallied (~18–19% in 2026 according to coverage) on the earnings beat, brand strength and cross‑category momentum, which supports continued investor interest. PepsiCo Up 18% in a Month: Smart Entry Point or Wait for a Pullback?
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend narrative: coverage noting a peak dividend yield thesis and the stock’s income appeal is likely attracting yield‑focused buyers and long‑term holders. I Predicted That PepsiCo’s Dividend Yield Peaked at 4.4% Because the Dividend King Stock Was Too Cheap to Ignore. Here’s Why Pepsi Is Already Up 19% in 2026 and Could Still Be …
• Positive Sentiment: Product/brand move: PepsiCo is rebranding its Sunbites snack to emphasize fibre — a health positioning that can boost shelf relevance in growth categories. PepsiCo rebrands Sunbites to champion fibre content
• Neutral Sentiment: Some analysts remain cautious: a Seeking Alpha piece sees solid momentum into 2026 but still rates PEP a Hold, signaling mixed conviction among investors despite operational upside. PepsiCo: Solid Momentum Coming Into 2026, But I Still Rate It A Hold For Now
• Neutral Sentiment: Other analyst moves vary (one outlet shows a price‑target raise to $130), underscoring differing views on upside from here. PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) Price Target Raised to $130.00
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate/ESG: profile pieces about senior leaders expanding women’s careers in supply chain are positive for culture/ESG but unlikely to move near‑term stock performance. How a PepsiCo exec is paving careers for women in supply chains
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector flow: coverage of the Invesco Food & Beverage ETF (PBJ) notes the group’s resurgence; sector ETFs can amplify PEP moves but are a broader, non‑specific driver. After Stalling Out, PBJ May Be Finally Be Ready To Deliver For Investors
• Negative Sentiment: Debt issuance: PepsiCo launched a €2.5 billion euro‑denominated senior notes offering (multiple tranches), which increases gross debt and could weigh on leverage metrics that investors monitor. PepsiCo Issues €2.5 Billion Euro-Denominated Senior Notes

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on PEP. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Loop Capital set a $164.00 price target on PepsiCo in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Rothschild & Co Redburn boosted their price objective on PepsiCo from $120.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday. DZ Bank raised PepsiCo from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $167.00 target price for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane set a $191.00 price target on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $167.68.

PepsiCo Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of PepsiCo stock opened at $165.94 on Friday. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 52-week low of $127.60 and a 52-week high of $171.48. The company has a 50 day moving average of $149.61 and a 200 day moving average of $147.10. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06. The company has a market capitalization of $226.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.66, a P/E/G ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 0.40.

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

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be issued a $1.4225 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $5.69 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.4%. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is presently 94.83%.

PepsiCo declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Tuesday, February 3rd that allows the company to buyback $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to purchase up to 4.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

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.