Aberdeen Group plc Sells 37,042 Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP

Aberdeen Group plc trimmed its holdings in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 3.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,174,846 shares of the company’s stock after selling 37,042 shares during the quarter. Aberdeen Group plc owned approximately 0.09% of PepsiCo worth $168,614,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 120.7% in the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 5,916,417 shares of the company’s stock valued at $830,902,000 after acquiring an additional 3,235,726 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 112.6% during the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 4,040,079 shares of the company’s stock worth $533,452,000 after purchasing an additional 2,139,847 shares during the last quarter. Amundi boosted its position in PepsiCo by 30.0% during the third quarter. Amundi now owns 8,641,588 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,207,230,000 after purchasing an additional 1,995,362 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its stake in PepsiCo by 60.2% in the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 5,051,114 shares of the company’s stock valued at $709,378,000 after purchasing an additional 1,897,865 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP raised its holdings in PepsiCo by 2,437.1% in the second quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 1,913,529 shares of the company’s stock worth $252,662,000 after purchasing an additional 1,838,108 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

PEP opened at $157.01 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $214.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $159.66 and its 200-day moving average price is $150.40. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 52-week low of $127.60 and a 52-week high of $171.48.

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

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th were given a $1.4225 dividend. This represents a $5.69 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 6th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is presently 94.83%.

PepsiCo announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, February 3rd that permits the company to buyback $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 4.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Key Headlines Impacting PepsiCo

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: New product momentum — PepsiCo launched a highly anticipated soda flavor that generated consumer excitement and social buzz, which can support short-term sales and retail velocity. PepsiCo Just Dropped a Highly Anticipated Soda Flavor—and Fans Are ‘Screaming’ With Excitement
• Positive Sentiment: Brand refresh and packaging — PepsiCo began a Tostitos brand refresh with updated packaging, supporting snack category relevance and retail shelf appeal. Product/packaging updates can lift in-store sell-through. PepsiCo Begins Tostitos Brand Refresh, Introduces Updated Packaging
• Positive Sentiment: Deeper event and fandom integration — Initiatives like Pepsi Football Nation and new venue supply deals aim to embed brands in live entertainment, which may boost out-of-home sales and marketing ROI. Is Pepsi Football Nation And New Venue Deals Reshaping the Investment Case For PepsiCo (PEP)?
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend appeal and defensive demand — Coverage highlighting PepsiCo as a consistent dividend payer and a defensive consumer-staples play is drawing investor interest amid recession concerns. That helps support valuation in risk-off environments. 3 Consistent Dividend Payers Outperforming in 2026: VZ, PEP, MO
• Neutral Sentiment: Strategic/ESG investments — Examples include a UK solar investment for distribution sites; positive for long-term cost and sustainability but not an immediate earnings driver. Behind PepsiCo’s US$4.8m Investment in UK Solar
• Neutral Sentiment: Ongoing coverage on valuation and earnings cadence — Several pieces revisit PepsiCo’s valuation, historical earnings-beat record and comparisons with Coca‑Cola; useful context but no single story moving fundamentals today. PepsiCo (PEP) Valuation Check After Mixed Short And Long Term Shareholder Returns
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst target trim — Deutsche Bank lowered its price target on PEP (from $176 to $169) citing “mounting industry pressures,” though it kept a Buy rating. That introduces some moderation to upside expectations and may cap near-term gains. Deutsche Bank Sees Mounting Industry Pressures, Trims PepsiCo (PEP) Target

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on PEP shares. HSBC raised their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $152.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $163.00 to $164.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $156.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $190.00 price target on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on PepsiCo from $154.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, PepsiCo presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $169.00.

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.