PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) Cut to “Neutral” at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered shares of PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) from an overweight rating to a neutral rating in a research report report published on Tuesday morning, Marketbeat.com reports. The brokerage currently has $138.00 price objective on the stock, down from their previous price objective of $170.00.

A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the company. Barclays raised their price target on PepsiCo from $138.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Weiss Ratings lowered PepsiCo from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 24th. Evercore set a $150.00 target price on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $138.00 price target (down from $155.00) on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Monday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $163.00 to $161.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, PepsiCo has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $151.70.

PepsiCo Price Performance

PEP stock opened at $125.60 on Tuesday. PepsiCo has a 12 month low of $125.53 and a 12 month high of $171.48. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.91. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $137.22 and a 200 day moving average price of $144.17. The stock has a market cap of $171.43 billion, a PE ratio of 16.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.35.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 9th. The company reported $2.20 earnings per share 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 analyst estimates of $23.95 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.92 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. PepsiCo has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.550-8.710 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that PepsiCo will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current year.

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 4th were issued a dividend of $1.48 per share. This represents a $5.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.7%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 4th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is presently 77.59%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP David Flavell sold 2,900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.54, for a total value of $404,666.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 74,825 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,441,080.50. The trade was a 3.73% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On PepsiCo

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of PEP. Onyx Bridge Wealth Group LLC lifted its position in PepsiCo by 2.5% during the first quarter. Onyx Bridge Wealth Group LLC now owns 2,673 shares of the company’s stock worth $415,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC grew its position in shares of PepsiCo by 3.3% in the first quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC now owns 2,040 shares of the company’s stock valued at $317,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Richards Merrill & Peterson Inc. increased its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 3.6% during the first quarter. Richards Merrill & Peterson Inc. now owns 1,938 shares of the company’s stock worth $301,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. Partners Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in PepsiCo by 3.5% during the 1st quarter. Partners Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,998 shares of the company’s stock worth $310,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pittenger & Anderson Inc. boosted its stake in PepsiCo by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. now owns 24,895 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,866,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the period. 73.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More PepsiCo News

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo is pursuing growth through hydration, zero-sugar beverages, functional products and better-for-you foods. Culinary-focused innovation across brands such as Doritos and Lay’s could help the company respond to changing consumer preferences. Can Innovation Help PepsiCo Outpace Industry Headwinds?
• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo added Johnson & Johnson CEO Joaquin Duato to its board, bringing healthcare, international and consumer-brand experience as the company expands its health-oriented product portfolio. PepsiCo Taps a Healthcare Chief for Its Board
• Neutral Sentiment: PepsiCo and Monster Beverage sued India’s food regulator over restrictions on using the “energy drink” label. The case could protect marketing and sales in a rapidly growing market, but also introduces regulatory uncertainty. PepsiCo, Monster Challenge India Energy Drink Label Ban
• Neutral Sentiment: A new multiyear food-and-beverage partnership with Live Nation may support brand visibility and product sales, although its near-term financial impact is unclear. PepsiCo and Live Nation Announce Partnership
• Negative Sentiment: J.P. Morgan downgraded PepsiCo, citing persistent weakness in North American snacks and cutting its price target by 19%. Evercore and Barclays also lowered their targets, reinforcing concerns about slowing growth. PepsiCo Just Got a 19% Price-Target Cut Ahead of Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts expect a challenging third quarter and question whether PepsiCo has enough momentum for an earnings beat. Investors are also monitoring pricing, softer demand and the sustainability of dividend growth amid pressure on operating cash flow. PepsiCo Q3 Earnings Preview

PepsiCo Company Profile

PepsiCo, Inc (NASDAQ:PEP) is a global food and beverage company that develops, manufactures, markets and distributes a broad portfolio of snacks, drinks and convenient foods. Its beverage brands include Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Gatorade, 7UP in select markets, and bubly, while its food and snack brands include Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos, Tostitos, Fritos, Quaker and Ruffles.

The company’s operations include beverage production and distribution, snack foods, convenient meals and nutrition-oriented products.