PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP Shares Bought by Northstar Advisory Group LLC

Northstar Advisory Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 282.8% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 29,658 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 21,910 shares during the quarter. PepsiCo makes up about 1.5% of Northstar Advisory Group LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest position. Northstar Advisory Group LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $4,257,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Three Bridge Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in PepsiCo by 1.8% in the third quarter. Three Bridge Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,870 shares of the company’s stock valued at $544,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Facet Wealth Inc. increased its position in shares of PepsiCo by 3.2% during the third quarter. Facet Wealth Inc. now owns 2,221 shares of the company’s stock worth $312,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Hudock Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Hudock Inc. now owns 7,079 shares of the company’s stock valued at $994,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Delta Asset Management LLC TN boosted its position in shares of PepsiCo by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Delta Asset Management LLC TN now owns 11,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,545,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Finally, Westside Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in PepsiCo by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,602 shares of the company’s stock worth $366,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. 73.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PepsiCo Trading Up 2.5%

NASDAQ:PEP opened at $156.82 on Tuesday. 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 stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $159.10 and its 200-day simple moving average is $150.25. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 12-month low of $127.60 and a 12-month high of $171.48. The firm has a market cap of $214.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.14, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.39.

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

PepsiCo declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Tuesday, February 3rd that allows the company to buyback $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 4.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be paid a dividend of $1.4225 per share. This represents a $5.69 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is 94.83%.

Key Headlines Impacting PepsiCo

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Deutsche Bank kept a Buy rating while trimming its price target to $169 — a modest cut but still implies meaningful upside, giving investors a near-term price anchor and supporting buying interest. Deutsche Bank price target note (Benzinga)
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple outlets profile PepsiCo as a defensive shelter for volatile markets (outperforming the S&P YTD, strong dividend profile), boosting demand from risk-averse and income-focused investors. This coverage reinforces sector-rotation flows into consumer staples. Seeking Shields from Volatility? (Zacks)
• Neutral Sentiment: Media comparisons with Coca‑Cola on dividend quality and business mix highlight both strengths (snacks + international growth) and tradeoffs (N. America pressure). Informative for investors but not an immediate catalyst. PepsiCo vs Coca‑Cola: The Better Dividend Stock (24/7 Wall St.)
• Neutral Sentiment: PepsiCo’s sustainability/ESG involvement (speakers at industry summits) supports longer-term brand and risk-management narratives but is unlikely to move the stock near-term. Sustainability LIVE: The US Summit (Yahoo)
• Negative Sentiment: Fundamental headwinds in North America and a modest March pullback underscore margin and growth concerns; analysts remain cautious overall, so upside depends on execution and macro stability. This keeps some investors more selective despite the defensive narrative. PepsiCo Could Climb 10% to $169 (24/7 Wall St.)

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded PepsiCo from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 7th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $154.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $176.00 to $169.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $163.00 to $164.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $169.00.

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.