Aptus Capital Advisors LLC Buys 9,099 Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP

Aptus Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 220,944 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,099 shares during the quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $31,029,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the second quarter worth $27,000. JCIC Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in PepsiCo in the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC increased its position in shares of PepsiCo by 107.1% in the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 234 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 121 shares during the period. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 667.7% during the third quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC now owns 238 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 207 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the third quarter worth about $37,000. 73.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on PepsiCo from $154.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. BNP Paribas Exane set a $191.00 target price on PepsiCo in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on PepsiCo from $156.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $190.00 price objective on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, PepsiCo presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $168.50.

PepsiCo News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Unusual bullish options activity: traders bought roughly 207,631 PEP call options (a ~680% rise vs. average daily call volume), signaling heavy short‑term bullish/speculative interest that can amplify intraday buying or hedging flows.
• Positive Sentiment: Product innovation — Gatorade launched “Gatorade Lower Sugar” (75% less sugar, no artificial flavors/sweeteners/colors), a nationwide rollout that targets health‑conscious consumers and could support beverage volume over time. GATORADE LOWER SUGAR BRINGS A NEW ERA OF HYDRATION WITH NO ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, SWEETENERS OR COLORS AND 75% LESS SUGAR THAN GATORADE THIRST QUENCHER
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst/media endorsements for defensive income: PepsiCo is featured in recent lists of consumer‑staples/dividend stocks (e.g., “Top Dividend Aristocrats” and “Consumer‑Staples Stocks to Buy”), which can attract income investors during market volatility and support the share price. Top 3 Dividend Aristocrat Stocks to Buy for Strong Returns in 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Short interest update was published (AmericanBankingNews). Depending on whether short interest rose or fell, this could modestly affect near‑term volatility; the report itself is informational until it shows a clear trend. PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) Short Interest Update
• Negative Sentiment: Litigation/investor‑alert: Scott+Scott attorneys announced an investigation into PepsiCo’s directors and officers for alleged breach of fiduciary duties — a headline that can weigh on sentiment, raise governance concerns, and create legal/settlement risk. PEPSICO, INC. INVESTOR ALERT: Scott+Scott Attorneys at Law LLP Investigates PepsiCo, Inc.’s Directors and Officers for Breach of Fiduciary Duties — PEP

PepsiCo Trading Down 2.0%

Shares of NASDAQ PEP opened at $160.70 on Friday. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 1 year low of $127.60 and a 1 year high of $171.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $154.73 and a 200 day moving average of $149.25. The stock has a market cap of $219.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 0.39.

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

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be paid a dividend of $1.4225 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $5.69 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.5%. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is presently 94.83%.

PepsiCo declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, February 3rd that authorizes the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 4.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

PepsiCo Profile

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.