Essential Partners LLC Sells 5,857 Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP

Essential Partners LLC cut its holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 42.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,998 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,857 shares during the period. Essential Partners LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $1,242,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Auto Owners Insurance Co boosted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 14,857.8% during the fourth quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 49,252,907 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,068,777,000 after purchasing an additional 48,923,629 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in PepsiCo during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $3,018,813,000. Diamant Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in PepsiCo by 16,146.5% in the 1st quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,586,423 shares of the company’s stock worth $556,936,000 after buying an additional 3,564,348 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in PepsiCo by 120.7% in the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 5,916,417 shares of the company’s stock worth $830,902,000 after acquiring an additional 3,235,726 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi lifted its stake in PepsiCo by 30.0% in the third quarter. Amundi now owns 8,641,588 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,207,230,000 after acquiring an additional 1,995,362 shares during the period. 73.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at PepsiCo

In other news, EVP David Flavell sold 2,900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.54, for a total value of $404,666.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 74,825 shares in the company, valued at $10,441,080.50. The trade was a 3.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.12% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Key PepsiCo News

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: International volume growth, product innovation and productivity initiatives are helping offset softer North American demand. PepsiCo’s broad global brand portfolio remains a key support for its outlook. PepsiCo Rides Global Volume Growth as North American Demand Slows
• Positive Sentiment: The stock’s valuation and dividend remain appealing to income-focused investors. PepsiCo recently approved a quarterly dividend of $1.48 per share, equivalent to an annualized $5.92 and a yield above 4%. Its latest quarterly earnings and revenue also slightly exceeded expectations. PepsiCo’s Brand and Dividend Strategy
• Neutral Sentiment: PepsiCo appointed Tanvi Swami as marketing director for Pepsi, 7UP and Mirinda, reinforcing its brand-building strategy but providing no immediate financial impact. PepsiCo’s Brand and Dividend Strategy
• Neutral Sentiment: Executive Vice President David Flavell sold 2,900 shares valued at approximately $405,000. The sale reduced his holdings by 3.73%, but he continues to own a substantial position, limiting the signal from the transaction. SEC insider transaction filing
• Negative Sentiment: Consumer-staples companies are facing increased consumer resistance to price increases, raising concerns about PepsiCo’s pricing power and profitability. Margin pressure, elevated leverage and weaker earnings estimates are additional headwinds. Consumer Staples Estimates Outlook
• Negative Sentiment: A lawsuit alleging workplace harassment and retaliation presents a potential reputational risk, although no specific financial impact has been reported. PepsiCo Workplace Lawsuit Report

PepsiCo Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:PEP opened at $140.20 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $141.49 and a 200-day moving average price of $151.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.91, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.74. The company has a market capitalization of $191.36 billion, a PE ratio of 18.37, a PEG ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 0.36. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 1-year low of $133.73 and a 1-year high of $171.48.

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

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 4th will be issued a $1.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 4th. This represents a $5.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.2%. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 77.59%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on PEP shares. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $162.00 to $152.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 10th. HSBC boosted their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $175.00 to $176.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Evercore set a $150.00 price target on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on PepsiCo from $163.00 to $161.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on PepsiCo from $180.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, PepsiCo has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $157.90.

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.