Orca Investment Management LLC Purchases 21,720 Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP

Orca Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 589.3% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 25,406 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 21,720 shares during the period. PepsiCo comprises 2.5% of Orca Investment Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 11th largest holding. Orca Investment Management LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $3,219,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. increased its position in PepsiCo by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 118,281,854 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,015,363,000 after purchasing an additional 2,440,377 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 60,406,932 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,179,099,000 after buying an additional 987,582 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 21,283,701 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,305,146,000 after buying an additional 133,325 shares during the last quarter. Amundi grew its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 16.8% in the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 11,444,671 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,777,243,000 after buying an additional 1,647,506 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 4.9% in the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 11,817,684 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,600,114,000 after buying an additional 549,336 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at PepsiCo

In related news, Director Robert C. Pohlad acquired 184,646 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 14th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $128.28 per share, for a total transaction of $23,686,388.88. Following the transaction, the director owned 433,009 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $55,546,394.52. The trade was a 74.35% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Ramon Laguarta sold 30,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.13, for a total value of $4,053,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 491,645 shares in the company, valued at approximately $66,435,988.85. This represents a 5.75% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Key Stories Impacting PepsiCo

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly results exceeded expectations. Third-quarter revenue rose 5.6% year over year to $25.27 billion, topping consensus, while core earnings per share of $2.34 also beat estimates. Organic revenue growth accelerated to 3.1%. Why PepsiCo (PEP) Stock Is Up Today
• Positive Sentiment: Operating trends showed improvement. PepsiCo reported organic volume growth across global beverages and convenient foods, broad strength in international markets, and sequential improvement in North American foods. Its updated outlook calls for approximately 6% net revenue growth and about 3% organic revenue growth in 2026. Why PepsiCo (PEP) Stock Is Up Today
• Positive Sentiment: Income appeal remains a supporting factor. Analysts and investment commentary continue to highlight PepsiCo’s dividend, which offers a yield above 4%, as well as the defensive nature of its combined beverage-and-snacks portfolio. Why Is PepsiCo Stock Falling, and Is It a Buying Opportunity?
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation and positioning could attract buyers. PEP trades well below its 52-week high, and the median analyst price target cited is $168 versus a recent share price near $137. However, institutional ownership data showed both significant additions and reductions, indicating mixed conviction.
• Negative Sentiment: Profit guidance was reduced. PepsiCo cut its 2026 core constant-currency EPS growth forecast to 1%–2%, down from the low end of its prior 4%–6% range. The downgrade reflects continuing pressure on margins and profitability despite firmer revenue expectations. PepsiCo stock outlook cut as North American reset deepens
• Negative Sentiment: North America remains the key risk. PepsiCo has cut prices by as much as 15% to win back price-sensitive consumers, raising questions about pricing power and future margins. The stock also remains below its 200-day moving average, reflecting investors’ caution about the recovery.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

NASDAQ:PEP opened at $137.34 on Monday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $133.49 and its 200-day moving average is $145.87. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 12 month low of $123.47 and a 12 month high of $171.48. The firm has a market cap of $187.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.25, a P/E/G ratio of 4.10 and a beta of 0.35.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 7th. The company reported $2.34 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.29 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $25.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $24.95 billion. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 53.08% and a net margin of 11.09%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.29 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.39 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on PEP shares. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $165.00 price objective on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Piper Sandler reduced their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $176.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 9th. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $159.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. Morgan Stanley set a $145.00 target price on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Friday, October 9th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $133.00 to $126.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, PepsiCo currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $143.28.

PepsiCo Profile

PepsiCo, Inc (NASDAQ:PEP) is a global food and beverage company whose portfolio includes Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Gatorade, Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos, Quaker, Tostitos, Fritos, and SodaStream. Its products span carbonated soft drinks, sports and energy beverages, bottled water, juices, convenient foods, snacks, and other packaged food offerings.

The company sells products through retail stores, restaurants, food-service providers, e-commerce platforms, and other distribution channels. PepsiCo serves consumers in North America and international markets across Latin America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific.