Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC Boosts Stock Position in PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP

Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 69.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,814 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,441 shares during the quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $1,552,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in PepsiCo in the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. JCIC Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Imprint Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 667.7% in the 3rd quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC now owns 238 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 207 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Strategic Advocates LLC acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. 73.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:PEP opened at $153.21 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $209.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.54, a PEG ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.85. PepsiCo, Inc. has a one year low of $127.60 and a one year high of $171.48. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $160.21 and its 200 day simple moving average is $150.85.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 2nd. The company reported $2.26 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.24 by $0.02. The business 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 company’s revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.96 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, February 3rd that allows the company to buyback $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 4.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th were issued a dividend of $1.4225 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 6th. This represents a $5.69 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.7%. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is currently 94.83%.

PepsiCo News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts flag early signs of a turnaround in PepsiCo Foods North America and say Q1 is likely to be broadly in line, which could limit downside if results meet expectations. PepsiCo seen posting in-line Q1 as analysts flag North America turnaround
• Positive Sentiment: UBS trimmed its price target modestly to $186 but kept a Buy rating, signaling continued analyst conviction and potential upside from current levels. UBS trims PEP price target
• Neutral Sentiment: Bank of America and other brokers expect largely in‑line Q1 results; the focus for investors will be commentary on the PFNA (snacks) turnaround, PBNA (beverages) growth initiatives and any geopolitical impact. PepsiCo Likely to Report In Line Q1 Earnings, BofA Says
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst fair‑value/target updates are mixed—a slight reset lower in modeled fair value while some analysts raise targets—reflecting uncertainty around how pricing and affordability actions will flow through results. How The PepsiCo (PEP) Investment Narrative Is Shifting
• Negative Sentiment: Extensive coverage shows Frito‑Lay snack prices (Doritos) rose sharply since 2021—up ~50% in some cases—and the resulting consumer pushback reportedly cost PepsiCo billions in sales and market value, spotlighting pricing strategy risk and forcing recent price cuts. Doritos prices jumped 50% in four years and PepsiCo waited until it lost billions to do anything about it
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage highlights that the company’s price cuts have so far failed to fully reassure customers and investors, keeping downside risk to near‑term sales and margins. PepsiCo Stock (PEP) Slips as Frito-Lay Price Cuts Fail to Please Customers
• Negative Sentiment: Brand and distribution setbacks: reports that Marriott is replacing Pepsi with Coca‑Cola across its global hotel portfolio are a direct hit to beverage placement and visibility in a major channel. Atlanta’s Coke Scores Global Hotel Knockout As Marriott Dumps Pepsi
• Negative Sentiment: Reputational/PR actions: PepsiCo and Diageo pulled sponsorship of a high‑profile festival act, reflecting brand‑risk management but also highlighting ongoing reputational exposures. PepsiCo, Diageo Drop Sponsorship of Kanye West-Headlined U.K. Music Festival

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on PEP shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on PepsiCo from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Evercore lifted their price objective on PepsiCo from $152.00 to $165.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their price objective on PepsiCo from $120.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on PepsiCo from $156.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on PepsiCo from $163.00 to $164.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Eight equities research 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $168.79.

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.