Bahl & Gaynor Inc. Cuts Stock Holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP

Bahl & Gaynor Inc. lowered its position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 6.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,350,835 shares of the company’s stock after selling 95,055 shares during the quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. owned 0.10% of PepsiCo worth $189,711,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of PEP. JCIC Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in PepsiCo during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC increased its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 107.1% in the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 234 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 121 shares during the last quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC raised 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, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new position in PepsiCo during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. 73.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on PEP. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $170.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. BNP Paribas Exane set a $191.00 target price on PepsiCo in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $148.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on PepsiCo from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $156.00 price target on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Eight 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, PepsiCo presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $168.00.

Key Headlines Impacting PepsiCo

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo is launching its Poppi soda brand in the UK — its first rollout outside the U.S. — which broadens international growth avenues for a fast‑growing beverage SKU and leverages local bottler Carlsberg Britvic for production and distribution. poppi lands in the UK
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend narrative remains supportive: coverage pieces continue to highlight PepsiCo’s long dividend track record and yield profile, attracting income‑focused investors and providing a defensive valuation underpin. Dividend King coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Management/marketing moves and digital push — PepsiCo elevated Mira Medhat to a regional beverages marketing role and is leaning into social media influencers (TikTok) to drive brand buzz, indicating active investment in demand creation for beverage SKUs. Marketing director promotion
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor attention metrics: tools and sites (Zacks/other screens) show elevated interest in PEP — higher searches can increase short‑term liquidity and volatility but are not directional on fundamentals. Zacks investor interest
• Neutral Sentiment: Nearby competitor/asset news — Celsius Holdings reported strong results after acquiring Rockstar (previously part of PepsiCo). Celsius strength is an industry datapoint but doesn’t directly change PepsiCo’s core beverage economics. Celsius earnings and Rockstar note
• Negative Sentiment: PepsiCo will close a Frito‑Lay warehouse in Rancho Cucamonga, CA, laying off ~248 workers — a cost/supply‑chain action that reduces capacity and creates short‑term disruption and local PR/ESG scrutiny. Frito‑Lay warehouse closure
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest rose sharply in February (≈25% increase month‑over‑month) — a higher short base can amplify downside risk and volatility if negative news or earnings miss occurs. (Data reported in market summaries.)
• Negative Sentiment: Proxy/ESG issue: a shareholder action over animal welfare was halted after PepsiCo relented on a demand — the resolution removes litigation uncertainty but signals concession on an ESG matter, which may concern some investors. Animal welfare proxy suit halted

PepsiCo Trading Up 1.3%

NASDAQ PEP opened at $169.74 on Monday. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 1-year low of $127.60 and a 1-year high of $171.48. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $153.15 and its 200-day simple moving average is $148.83. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06. The company has a market capitalization of $231.98 billion, a PE ratio of 28.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 0.39.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last announced its quarterly 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $28.96 billion. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 57.92% and a net margin of 8.77%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.96 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The business 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $5.69 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is currently 94.83%.

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

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.