MML Investors Services LLC Has $35.35 Million Stake in PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP

MML Investors Services LLC increased its holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 3.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 246,275 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 7,447 shares during the period. MML Investors Services LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $35,345,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in PEP. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,018,813,000. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in PepsiCo by 120.7% during the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 5,916,417 shares of the company’s stock worth $830,902,000 after buying an additional 3,235,726 shares in the last quarter. Amundi grew its stake in PepsiCo by 30.0% during the third quarter. Amundi now owns 8,641,588 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,207,230,000 after buying an additional 1,995,362 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in PepsiCo by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 138,483,870 shares of the company’s stock worth $19,875,205,000 after buying an additional 1,612,652 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec increased its holdings in PepsiCo by 151.7% in the 3rd quarter. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec now owns 2,597,986 shares of the company’s stock valued at $364,861,000 after buying an additional 1,565,883 shares during the period. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting PepsiCo

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Unusual options activity showed traders buying far more call options than usual, suggesting some investors are positioning for a rebound in PepsiCo shares.
• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo continues to draw investor interest as a dividend and defensive large-cap stock, and one article highlighted the company among broader “best stocks to buy” lists.
• Neutral Sentiment: PepsiCo is expanding into newer growth areas, including its House of Treats beverage platform for entertainment and hospitality venues, and a regenerative farming partnership that could support longer-term brand and supply-chain strength.
• Neutral Sentiment: The stock advanced in the latest session but still lagged the broader market, reflecting a mixed near-term backdrop rather than a strong catalyst-driven move.
• Negative Sentiment: Piper Sandler cut its price target on PepsiCo, adding to concerns that growth is slowing and that near-term upside may be limited. PepsiCo (PEP) Price Target Lowered at Piper Sandler. Here is Why
• Negative Sentiment: TD Cowen also lowered its price target and kept a Hold rating, while cutting its second-quarter organic growth forecast below consensus, reinforcing worries about softer sales momentum. PepsiCo (PEP) Gets Mixed Wall Street Reviews as Growth Challenges Persist
• Negative Sentiment: Additional reports noted more analyst price-target reductions for PepsiCo, signaling that Wall Street expectations are moving lower ahead of the next results update. PepsiCo (PEP) Advances But Underperforms Market: Key Facts

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PEP has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Thursday. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $143.00 target price on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $190.00 to $186.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $169.00 to $173.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $181.00 to $178.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, PepsiCo has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $167.35.

PepsiCo Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:PEP opened at $146.25 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $150.90 and a 200-day moving average of $152.42. The company has a market capitalization of $199.89 billion, a PE ratio of 22.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.90. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 52-week low of $127.60 and a 52-week high of $171.48.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The company reported $1.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.55 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $19.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.89 billion. PepsiCo had a net margin of 9.15% and a return on equity of 56.61%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.48 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 5th will be issued a dividend of $1.48 per share. This represents a $5.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.0%. This is a boost from PepsiCo’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.42. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 5th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 92.94%.

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.