JPMorgan Chase & Co. Lowers PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) Price Target to $172.00

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) had its price objective reduced by investment analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $176.00 to $172.00 in a report released on Wednesday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage presently has an “overweight” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price objective points to a potential upside of 9.21% from the stock’s previous close.

PEP has been the subject of a number of other reports. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $163.00 to $164.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $162.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of PepsiCo from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 7th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on PepsiCo from $154.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $168.47.

PepsiCo Trading Up 1.7%

NASDAQ PEP opened at $157.49 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $215.28 billion, a PE ratio of 26.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a fifty day moving average of $160.52 and a 200 day moving average of $150.92. PepsiCo 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.

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

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of PEP. Auto Owners Insurance Co raised its position in shares of PepsiCo by 14,857.8% during the 4th quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 49,252,907 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,068,777,000 after purchasing an additional 48,923,629 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth about $3,018,813,000. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of PepsiCo by 120.7% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 5,916,417 shares of the company’s stock worth $830,902,000 after purchasing an additional 3,235,726 shares during the last quarter. Amundi raised its position in shares of PepsiCo by 30.0% during the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 8,641,588 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,207,230,000 after purchasing an additional 1,995,362 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its position in shares of PepsiCo by 60.2% during the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 5,051,114 shares of the company’s stock worth $709,378,000 after purchasing an additional 1,897,865 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

More PepsiCo News

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts expect EPS growth and a likely earnings beat heading into the next report; previews note PepsiCo has the right setup (cost/price mix and revenue momentum) to beat estimates, which supports near-term upside into results. PepsiCo (PEP) Earnings Expected to Grow: Should You Buy?
• Positive Sentiment: Research notes and previews (Seeking Alpha, TipRanks) argue the company’s turnaround momentum is building and that PEP could see a tactical bounce into Q1 earnings — a supportive short-term technical/psychological catalyst. PepsiCo: Why The Turnaround Is Finally Taking Hold (Preview)
• Positive Sentiment: Operational/ESG actions: PepsiCo commissioned retrofitted electric trucks in India — a small but constructive sign for cost control and sustainability that can modestly support margins and investor sentiment over time. PepsiCo commissions eight retrofitted electric trucks in India
• Neutral Sentiment: New beverage SKU (Dirty Mountain Dew) plus announced snack price cuts: product innovation could help beverage growth, while tactical snack price reductions aim to regain shelf space — these moves reduce near-term pricing power but may stabilize volume. Impact depends on execution and margin trade-offs. PepsiCo Balances Dirty Mountain Dew Launch With Snack Pricing And ESG Risks
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary notes mixed performance vs. peers (moderate gains but lagging market), underscoring that broader market drivers and sector rotation are also influencing PEP’s move. PepsiCo (PEP) Increases Yet Falls Behind Market
• Negative Sentiment: Snack pricing missteps: coverage shows price hikes on Doritos/Cheetos significantly cut demand and led to lost sales and shelf-space pullbacks (Walmart/other retailers), which directly pressures Frito‑Lay revenue and margins. This is the clearest near-term headwind for PEP. Doritos at $7 a bag ended up costing PepsiCo billions
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst price-target trims and negative outlooks: RBC trimmed its PT to $163, JPMorgan lowered its PT to $172 (still overweight), and UBS issued a pessimistic forecast — these actions signal analyst caution and cap upside while the company rebalances snack pricing and restores distribution. RBC trims price target on PepsiCo to $163 JPMorgan adjusts price target on PepsiCo to $172
• Negative Sentiment: Independent bearish take: UBS’s pessimistic forecast adds downside risk should snack recovery stall or margin pressure persist. UBS Group Issues Pessimistic Forecast for PepsiCo

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.