SouthState Bank Corp Has $3.85 Million Stock Holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP

SouthState Bank Corp lowered its stake in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 50.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 27,408 shares of the company’s stock after selling 28,014 shares during the quarter. SouthState Bank Corp’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $3,849,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of PEP. JCIC Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in PepsiCo during the second quarter worth about $27,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC increased its position in PepsiCo by 107.1% during the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 234 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 121 shares during the last quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of PepsiCo by 667.7% in the third quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC now owns 238 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 207 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Frazier Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 85.3% during the 2nd quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 265 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares during the period. 73.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting PepsiCo

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat expectations and management reiterated FY‑2026 guidance — revenue and adjusted EPS topped estimates, driven by international soda strength and improving beverage momentum. This beat is the primary fundamental catalyst supporting the rally. PepsiCo tops quarterly revenue estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Board authorized a $10 billion share repurchase program (≈4.7% of shares outstanding), signaling management believes shares are undervalued and providing buyback-driven EPS support. RTT News on buyback
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend raised — board declared a quarterly dividend of $1.4225 per share, a 5% increase year-over-year, reinforcing income appeal for dividend investors. PepsiCo Declares Quarterly Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: Several sell‑side firms raised price targets (JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley, TD Cowen, Barclays among others), which can support momentum and attract allocation flows. Analyst price-target moves
• Neutral Sentiment: PepsiCo will cut suggested retail prices on major snacks (Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos) by as much as 15% to boost affordability and volume ahead of big consumption events — a deliberate trade of price for share/volume that could help demand but pressures near-term margins. After Years of Increases, PepsiCo Pledges to Cut Prices on Snacks
• Neutral Sentiment: Strategic initiatives (tests to integrate beverage/snack distribution, trimming SKUs ~20%, refocusing top brands) aim to lift margins and execution — positive long-term if executed, but results are still early. MarketBeat strategic summary
• Negative Sentiment: Bearish/critical takes argue the rally is multiple expansion rather than improving volumes — price-led growth in Q4 and the new price cuts raise execution risk and could compress margins; some analysts/voices label the setup risky for new buyers. Seeking Alpha — Strong Sell
• Negative Sentiment: Macro/structural headwinds to snack volumes (e.g., consumer affordability pressures, GLP‑1–related demand shifts cited by commentators) remain a watch item; management is banking on price cuts and product focus to recover volumes. Jim Cramer commentary

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have issued reports on PEP. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on PepsiCo from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $117.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $190.00 price target on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Wednesday. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on PepsiCo from $161.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on PepsiCo from $165.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 10th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, PepsiCo currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $165.28.

PepsiCo Trading Up 2.0%

Shares of PEP stock opened at $166.18 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $227.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.35 and a beta of 0.40. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 1 year low of $127.60 and a 1 year high of $167.94. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $146.83 and a 200 day simple moving average of $145.95.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.26 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.24 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $29.34 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.96 billion. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 57.92% and a net margin of 8.77%.The company’s revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.96 EPS. PepsiCo has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.550-8.710 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 6th. Investors of record on Friday, December 5th were given a dividend of $1.4225 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 5th. This represents a $5.69 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is currently 108.17%.

PepsiCo declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, February 3rd that permits the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 4.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors 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.