Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp Increases Stock Position in PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp increased its holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 14.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,042,013 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 132,250 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp owned approximately 0.08% of PepsiCo worth $146,340,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake 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 acquiring an additional 6,574 shares during the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP purchased a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the first quarter worth approximately $251,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 138.5% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 6,527 shares of the company’s stock worth $862,000 after purchasing an additional 3,790 shares during the period. PineStone Asset Management Inc. grew its position in PepsiCo by 4.0% in the 2nd quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,523,928 shares of the company’s stock valued at $333,259,000 after buying an additional 97,095 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Colton Groome Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in PepsiCo by 27.7% in the 2nd quarter. Colton Groome Financial Advisors LLC now owns 5,246 shares of the company’s stock valued at $693,000 after buying an additional 1,138 shares during the period. 73.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on PEP shares. Barclays set a $148.00 target price on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Friday, January 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on PepsiCo from $165.00 to $167.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 10th. Wall Street Zen cut PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, December 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised PepsiCo from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the company from $151.00 to $164.00 in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price objective on PepsiCo from $150.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $159.29.

PepsiCo News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan upgraded PEP to Overweight after PepsiCo outlined initiatives to boost shareholder returns (capital allocation and buyback/dividend focus). That analyst backing can lift sentiment and reduce perceived execution risk. PepsiCo (PEP) Upgraded to Overweight by JPMorgan
• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo is doubling down on zero‑sugar products (Pepsi Zero Sugar) to win younger consumers who shun “diet” labels — a strategic repositioning that can protect soda volumes and margins over time as tastes shift. PepsiCo Bets on Zero Sugar
• Neutral Sentiment: PepsiCo India named Savitha Balachandran (formerly of Tata Technologies) as its new CFO — strengthens regional leadership but is unlikely to move global results materially in the near term. PepsiCo India brings in Tata Tech’s Savitha Balachandran as new CFO
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst/industry pieces compare PepsiCo’s scale and diversification versus niche competitors (e.g., Vita Coco) and versus Coca‑Cola; these help frame long‑term positioning but don’t contain immediate catalysts. PepsiCo vs. Vita Coco: Which Beverage Stock Offers Better Growth? Coca‑Cola vs. PepsiCo: What’s the Better Long‑Term Play?
• Negative Sentiment: Coca‑Cola reclaimed all 625 U.S. Costco food courts after Pepsi’s 12‑year partnership ended — a material distribution loss in a high‑volume channel that could pressure beverage volumes and incremental sales. Coke reclaims all 625 US Costco food courts
• Negative Sentiment: Headline market coverage notes PEP underperformed peers and the broader market (including pieces reporting the stock “sank” while the market gained) — short‑term weakness reflecting rotation and competitive concerns. PepsiCo Inc. stock underperforms PepsiCo (PEP) Stock Sinks As Market Gains

PepsiCo Price Performance

PEP stock opened at $144.58 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $145.75 and its 200 day moving average price is $144.97. The firm has a market cap of $197.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.49, a PEG ratio of 4.73 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.91. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 1 year low of $127.60 and a 1 year high of $160.15.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 6th. Investors of record on Friday, December 5th were paid a dividend of $1.4225 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 5th. This represents a $5.69 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.9%. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 108.17%.

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.