Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse Sells Off Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (Democratic-Rhode Island) recently sold shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP). In a filing disclosed on March 06th, the Senator disclosed that they had sold between $1,001 and $15,000 in PepsiCo stock on February 23rd.

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse also recently made the following trade(s):

• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) on 2/23/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Home Depot (NYSE:HD) on 2/23/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Mastercard (NYSE:MA) on 2/23/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Home Depot (NYSE:HD) on 1/9/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA) on 1/9/2026.
• Sold $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) on 1/9/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) on 1/9/2026.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

NASDAQ PEP opened at $159.43 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $217.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.57, a PEG ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06. PepsiCo, Inc. has a twelve month low of $127.60 and a twelve month high of $171.48. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $155.04 and a 200 day simple moving average of $149.30.

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

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a $1.4225 dividend. This represents a $5.69 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is 94.83%.

PepsiCo announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, February 3rd that allows the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 4.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Barclays lifted their price objective on PepsiCo from $148.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $190.00 price target on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. HSBC boosted their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $152.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $164.00 to $176.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Evercore lifted their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $152.00 to $165.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $168.50.

Institutional Trading of PepsiCo

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Clayton Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in PepsiCo in the third quarter valued at approximately $872,000. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. increased its position in PepsiCo by 2.6% in the second quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 185,961 shares of the company’s stock worth $24,554,000 after buying an additional 4,627 shares during the last quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 122.6% in the third quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 20,365 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,860,000 after buying an additional 11,217 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 11.7% in the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 12,659,046 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,671,500,000 after buying an additional 1,330,888 shares during the period. Finally, Amica Retiree Medical Trust purchased a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the 2nd quarter valued at $124,000. 73.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting PepsiCo

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Product innovation and brand initiatives support long‑term growth — PepsiCo is rolling out Gatorade Lower Sugar nationwide, expanding poppi into the U.K., and using pop‑culture tie‑ins for bubly, signalling renewed focus on higher‑growth, “better‑for‑you” beverage categories that can help revenue/margin mix over time. PepsiCo Leans On Health Drinks And Pop Culture As Shares Lag Targets
• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly results and underlying sales growth remain supportive — post‑Q4 coverage discusses the modest EPS beat and revenue growth, reinforcing the company’s steady cash generation and dividend/ buyback capacity. This underpins investor confidence in the defensive consumer staple story. PepsiCo (PEP): Buy, sell, or hold post Q4 earnings?
• Positive Sentiment: Large bullish options activity suggests some traders expect a rally — unusually high call buying (vastly above average daily volume) can indicate speculative or hedged bullish interest that may fuel upward momentum if fundamentals or sentiment improve. (Note: internal market data)
• Neutral Sentiment: Income appeal remains a structural tailwind — dividend‑focused publications continue to highlight PepsiCo as a holding for yield/defensive exposure amid macro uncertainty, which can support the share price over time even if near‑term volatility occurs. The NASDAQ Dividend Stocks Retirees Are Loading Up On Before The Next Rate Cut
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector re‑rating conversations persist — consumer‑staples roundups list PepsiCo among stable dividend names; useful for longer‑term allocation but unlikely to trigger sharp immediate moves absent new data. 5 Consumer-Staples Stocks to Buy as the Market Gets Shakier
• Neutral Sentiment: Short interest update — recent reporting on short interest provides data investors watch for squeeze/pressure dynamics but by itself doesn’t change fundamentals. PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) Short Interest Update
• Negative Sentiment: Legal/investor‑litigation headline increases risk premium — a new investor alert around possible breaches of fiduciary duty draws attention to governance/legal risk that can pressure sentiment and valuation. PEPSICO, INC. INVESTOR ALERT: Scott+Scott … Investigates PepsiCo, Inc.’s Directors and Officers
• Negative Sentiment: Near‑term analyst/market skepticism — coverage noting that shares are “lagging targets” and articles flagging the stock among “unpopular” names highlight downward analyst pressure and sentiment risk, which can drive short‑term selling. 3 Unpopular Stocks with Open Questions
• Negative Sentiment: Price underperformance versus the market — headlines documenting a recent intraday dip show immediate selling pressure; combined with low average volume today, this can amplify moves on negative news. PepsiCo (PEP) Dips More Than Broader Market: What You Should Know

About Senator Whitehouse

Sheldon Whitehouse (Democratic Party) is a member of the U.S. Senate from Rhode Island. He assumed office on January 3, 2007. His current term ends on January 3, 2031.

Whitehouse (Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the U.S. Senate to represent Rhode Island. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

PepsiCo Company 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.