PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP Shares Sold by North Star Asset Management Inc.

North Star Asset Management Inc. decreased its stake in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 13.6% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 57,640 shares of the company’s stock after selling 9,037 shares during the quarter. North Star Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $8,273,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. United Bank lifted its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. United Bank now owns 1,717 shares of the company’s stock valued at $246,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. Koa Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Koa Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,007 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,149,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the period. Facet Wealth Inc. lifted its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 3.2% in the third quarter. Facet Wealth Inc. now owns 2,221 shares of the company’s stock valued at $312,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the period. Delta Asset Management LLC TN lifted its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 0.6% in the third 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. lifted its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 2.8% in the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,602 shares of the company’s stock valued at $366,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

More PepsiCo News

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo extended and revised its licensing and bottling arrangements with Varun Beverages in India through 2049, while also giving the partner more freedom to pursue non-PepsiCo ventures. The longer-term deal should help protect distribution in a key growth market and reduce partnership uncertainty. Varun Beverages, PepsiCo revise licencing deal
• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo is also being highlighted by market commentary as a strong growth stock and a defensive blue-chip income name, reinforcing investor interest in the company’s earnings stability and dividend profile. Here’s Why PepsiCo (PEP) is a Strong Growth Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: PepsiCo launched new products and initiatives, including a functional ready-to-drink tea and a greenhouse program in Asia-Pacific, which support its innovation story but are unlikely to move the stock on their own. PepsiCo adds functional RTD tea
• Neutral Sentiment: The company is also moving ahead with sustainability and regenerative agriculture efforts, which may help long-term brand positioning but are not immediate earnings catalysts. PepsiCo enters regen ag pact with LDC
• Negative Sentiment: Industry coverage continues to flag margin pressure from higher sugar, packaging and freight costs, along with tariff uncertainty. That backdrop could weigh on profitability for PepsiCo and other soft drink makers if costs stay elevated. 5 Soft Drinks Stocks to Track Amid Margin & Tariff Pressures
• Negative Sentiment: PepsiCo said it will raise prices on some smaller chip bags to offset increased costs. While this may help margins, it can also pressure volume and suggests inflation remains a headwind. Lay’s and Doritos maker to raise prices on small bags of chips

PepsiCo Stock Performance

NASDAQ:PEP opened at $150.57 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $154.17 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $152.45. PepsiCo, Inc. has a twelve month low of $127.60 and a twelve month high of $171.48. The company has a market capitalization of $205.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.38.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The company reported $1.61 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.55 by $0.06. The business 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 quarterly revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.48 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 5th will be given a $1.48 dividend. This is a boost from PepsiCo’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.42. This represents a $5.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 5th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 89.32%.

PepsiCo declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, February 3rd that permits the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 4.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, April 18th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $165.00 to $163.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane raised their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $191.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $170.11.

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.