Albion Financial Group UT Cuts Stake in PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP

Albion Financial Group UT lessened its stake in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 8.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 38,188 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,429 shares during the period. Albion Financial Group UT’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $5,481,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Apella Capital LLC grew its stake in PepsiCo by 21.4% in the fourth quarter. Apella Capital LLC now owns 27,623 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,964,000 after purchasing an additional 4,862 shares during the last quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in PepsiCo by 69.7% in the fourth quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 10,814 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,552,000 after purchasing an additional 4,441 shares during the last quarter. Avantra Family Wealth Inc. grew its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 11.7% during the fourth quarter. Avantra Family Wealth Inc. now owns 2,778 shares of the company’s stock worth $399,000 after acquiring an additional 291 shares during the last quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC grew its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC now owns 27,055 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,883,000 after acquiring an additional 1,348 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Buffalo Business & Estate Services Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth about $253,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

PepsiCo Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of PEP opened at $156.73 on Tuesday. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $214.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.12, a PEG ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.40. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $160.13 and a 200 day moving average price of $150.77.

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

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

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

PepsiCo announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, February 3rd that authorizes the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 4.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Key Stories Impacting PepsiCo

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks and other outlets are featuring PepsiCo as a steady, income-oriented idea in 2026, highlighting steady cash flow and defensive qualities that can support the stock over time. Zacks Investment Ideas feature highlights: Altria, Verizon Communications and PepsiCo
• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo completed a small disposal of a New Jersey warehouse for $4.7M, a modest but positive cash/inventory cleanup move that trims non-core real estate. PepsiCo sells NJ warehouse to family-owned fire protection firm in $4.7M deal
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst and media pieces (e.g., 247WallStreet) are revisiting PepsiCo’s turnaround narrative — noting progress on revenue/organic growth and arguing the stock may be attractive after 2025 volatility. This supports a longer-term constructive view. Is the Pepsico Turnaround Story Finally Worth Buying?
• Neutral Sentiment: News about Varun Beverages (a PepsiCo bottler) going ex-dividend is being reported — it affects the regional bottling group and local shareholder returns but is not a direct corporate catalyst for PEP. Varun Beverages Dividend: Shares of PepsiCo bottler to trade ex-date soon for final dividend, check amount
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro commentary (BCA Research) urges caution and not adding risk as energy/geo risks alter market tone — a background factor that keeps defensive names like PepsiCo in focus but can compress broader multiples. Here’s why you shouldn’t add risk to your portfolio, according to BCA
• Negative Sentiment: PepsiCo withdrew/dropped sponsorship of a U.K. music festival headlined by Kanye West after the booking, generating negative headlines and short-term reputational/marketing uncertainty that likely pressured the stock today. Multiple outlets covered the pullback. PepsiCo, Diageo Drop Sponsorship of Kanye West-Headlined U.K. Music Festival
• Negative Sentiment: Sector dynamics: Coca‑Cola’s shift from pricing-led growth toward volume recovery highlights affordability pressure in beverages — a sign the category may face demand sensitivity if consumers push back on price, which is a headwind for PepsiCo’s near-term volumes/mix. Can Coca-Cola Balance Pricing, Affordability in Soft Macro Backdrop?

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on PEP. Evercore boosted their price target on PepsiCo from $152.00 to $165.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on PepsiCo from $164.00 to $176.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on PepsiCo from $156.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on PepsiCo from $163.00 to $164.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded PepsiCo from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 7th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, PepsiCo has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target 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.