PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) Director Purchases 184,646 Shares of Stock

PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) Director Robert Pohlad bought 184,646 shares of PepsiCo stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 14th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $128.28 per share, for a total transaction of $23,686,388.88. Following the purchase, the director owned 433,009 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $55,546,394.52. This trade represents a 74.35% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

PepsiCo Trading Up 2.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:PEP traded up $3.11 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $131.49. 10,658,638 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,146,086. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 1 year low of $123.47 and a 1 year high of $171.48. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $134.59 and a 200-day moving average price of $142.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $179.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.85 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.76.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 7th. The company reported $2.34 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.29 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $25.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $24.95 billion. PepsiCo had a net margin of 11.09% and a return on equity of 53.08%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.29 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On PepsiCo

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Auto Owners Insurance Co raised its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 14,857.8% in the fourth quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 49,252,907 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,068,777,000 after purchasing an additional 48,923,629 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in PepsiCo in the second quarter valued at approximately $2,755,509,000. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in PepsiCo in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,200,274,000. Corient Private Wealth LP acquired a new position in PepsiCo in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $297,116,000. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new position in PepsiCo during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $487,558,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting PepsiCo

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts indicate that KFC represents only a small portion of PepsiCo’s total sales, limiting the immediate earnings impact of the restaurant chain’s decision. Bank of America maintained a Hold rating but raised its price target to $145, suggesting potential upside from current levels and a balanced risk-reward profile. KFC switch to Coke puts PepsiCo’s food service ties in focus
• Neutral Sentiment: PepsiCo and the PepsiCo Foundation said their partnership with Feed the Children has delivered 2 million meals through a school-based hunger-relief program. The announcement supports PepsiCo’s corporate-responsibility profile but is unlikely to materially affect near-term earnings. PepsiCo and Feed the Children mark 2 million meals
• Neutral Sentiment: The company’s latest reported quarter showed adjusted earnings and revenue above consensus, with revenue up year over year. However, the stock remains below its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, reflecting investor concerns about slowing growth and North American performance.
• Negative Sentiment: KFC will replace PepsiCo beverages with Coca-Cola products at its U.S. restaurants beginning in January 2027, with a full rollout expected by spring. Although the revenue loss is expected to be modest, the move is a high-profile setback for PepsiCo’s food-service relationships and gives Coca-Cola additional fountain-market visibility. PepsiCo just lost KFC to Coca-Cola
• Negative Sentiment: PepsiCo warned an Indian court that its Sting and Adrenaline Rush energy drinks could run out nationwide within roughly two months if a dispute over “energy drink” labeling continues. The court declined to allow new labeled inventory, while competitors such as Red Bull remain able to sell, creating a supply and market-share risk in an important growth category. PepsiCo warns India energy drinks could run out

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on PEP. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Friday, October 9th. Evercore dropped their price target on PepsiCo from $150.00 to $135.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 30th. BNP Paribas Exane cut their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $161.00 to $157.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $161.00 to $150.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $132.00 target price on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Friday, October 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, PepsiCo currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $145.50.

About PepsiCo

PepsiCo, Inc (NASDAQ:PEP) is a global food and beverage company that develops, manufactures, markets and distributes a broad portfolio of snacks, drinks and convenient foods. Its beverage brands include Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Gatorade, 7UP in select markets, and bubly, while its food and snack brands include Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos, Tostitos, Fritos, Quaker and Ruffles.

The company’s operations include beverage production and distribution, snack foods, convenient meals and nutrition-oriented products.