PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP Shares Sold by Ameritas Advisory Services LLC

Ameritas Advisory Services LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 59.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,946 shares of the company’s stock after selling 8,583 shares during the period. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $835,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in PepsiCo by 12.4% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 59,392 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,031,000 after purchasing an additional 6,574 shares in the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the first quarter valued at about $251,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 138.5% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 6,527 shares of the company’s stock worth $862,000 after acquiring an additional 3,790 shares in the last quarter. Arista Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in PepsiCo during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $464,000. Finally, Curbstone Financial Management Corp increased its holdings in PepsiCo by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter. Curbstone Financial Management Corp now owns 23,226 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,067,000 after purchasing an additional 244 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting PepsiCo

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target to $160 after PepsiCo’s earnings (keeps an Equal Weight rating), reflecting model updates post‑report and supporting near‑term valuation. PepsiCo, Inc. (PEP) Price Target Increased to $160 at Barclays Post-Earnings Update
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and pieces highlighting PepsiCo’s earnings quality and stability are bolstering investor comfort after the quarter — small EPS and revenue beats reinforce the company’s predictable cash generation. Investors Can Find Comfort In PepsiCo’s (NASDAQ:PEP) Earnings Quality
• Positive Sentiment: Momentum: PEP has rallied (~18–19% in 2026 according to coverage) on the earnings beat, brand strength and cross‑category momentum, which supports continued investor interest. PepsiCo Up 18% in a Month: Smart Entry Point or Wait for a Pullback?
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend narrative: coverage noting a peak dividend yield thesis and the stock’s income appeal is likely attracting yield‑focused buyers and long‑term holders. I Predicted That PepsiCo’s Dividend Yield Peaked at 4.4% Because the Dividend King Stock Was Too Cheap to Ignore. Here’s Why Pepsi Is Already Up 19% in 2026 and Could Still Be …
• Positive Sentiment: Product/brand move: PepsiCo is rebranding its Sunbites snack to emphasize fibre — a health positioning that can boost shelf relevance in growth categories. PepsiCo rebrands Sunbites to champion fibre content
• Neutral Sentiment: Some analysts remain cautious: a Seeking Alpha piece sees solid momentum into 2026 but still rates PEP a Hold, signaling mixed conviction among investors despite operational upside. PepsiCo: Solid Momentum Coming Into 2026, But I Still Rate It A Hold For Now
• Neutral Sentiment: Other analyst moves vary (one outlet shows a price‑target raise to $130), underscoring differing views on upside from here. PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) Price Target Raised to $130.00
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate/ESG: profile pieces about senior leaders expanding women’s careers in supply chain are positive for culture/ESG but unlikely to move near‑term stock performance. How a PepsiCo exec is paving careers for women in supply chains
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector flow: coverage of the Invesco Food & Beverage ETF (PBJ) notes the group’s resurgence; sector ETFs can amplify PEP moves but are a broader, non‑specific driver. After Stalling Out, PBJ May Be Finally Be Ready To Deliver For Investors
• Negative Sentiment: Debt issuance: PepsiCo launched a €2.5 billion euro‑denominated senior notes offering (multiple tranches), which increases gross debt and could weigh on leverage metrics that investors monitor. PepsiCo Issues €2.5 Billion Euro-Denominated Senior Notes

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on PEP. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $155.00 to $162.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. DZ Bank raised shares of PepsiCo from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $167.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on PepsiCo from $161.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on PepsiCo from $164.00 to $176.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $167.68.

PepsiCo Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:PEP opened at $165.94 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $149.61 and its two-hundred day moving average is $147.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $226.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.66, a PEG ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 52 week low of $127.60 and a 52 week high of $171.48.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. The business 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 company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.96 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current year.

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a dividend of $1.4225 per share. This represents a $5.69 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is 94.83%.

PepsiCo declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Tuesday, February 3rd that authorizes the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in outstanding 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 a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is 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.