215,684 PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP Shares Sold by WestEnd Advisors LLC

WestEnd Advisors LLC cut its holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 98.5% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 3,393 shares of the company’s stock after selling 215,684 shares during the quarter. WestEnd Advisors LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $430,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. increased its holdings in PepsiCo by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 118,281,854 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,015,363,000 after acquiring an additional 2,440,377 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in PepsiCo by 1.7% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 60,406,932 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,179,099,000 after acquiring an additional 987,582 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in PepsiCo by 0.6% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 21,283,701 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,305,146,000 after acquiring an additional 133,325 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 4.9% in the second 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 purchasing an additional 549,336 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi lifted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 16.8% in the first quarter. Amundi now owns 11,444,671 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,777,243,000 after purchasing an additional 1,647,506 shares in the last quarter. 73.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other PepsiCo news, Director Robert Pohlad purchased 184,646 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 14th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $128.28 per share, with a total value of $23,686,388.88. Following the purchase, the director owned 433,009 shares in the company, valued at approximately $55,546,394.52. This represents a 74.35% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Ramon Laguarta sold 30,000 shares of PepsiCo stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.13, for a total value of $4,053,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 491,645 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $66,435,988.85. This trade represents a 5.75% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about PepsiCo

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo’s roughly 4.3% dividend yield is nearly twice Coca-Cola’s 2.2%, reinforcing PEP’s appeal to income-focused investors. Both companies are Dividend Kings with more than five decades of consecutive dividend increases. Coca-Cola Yields Just 2.2% Compared to 4.3% for PepsiCo
• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo and Grimme are developing a virtual potato harvester designed to help growers protect crop quality and reduce waste. The technology could support supply-chain efficiency and the Frito-Lay business over time. Inside the Virtual Potato Harvester
• Positive Sentiment: One valuation analysis described PEP as potentially below fair value after a roughly 7.4% 12-month decline, which may attract investors seeking a discounted consumer-staples stock. PepsiCo Stock Looks Below Fair Value
• Neutral Sentiment: PepsiCo’s latest reported quarter exceeded analyst expectations, with $2.34 in EPS and $25.27 billion in revenue, although investors remain focused on whether growth can reaccelerate.
• Neutral Sentiment: A reported short-interest update showed zero shares sold short and a zero-day days-to-cover ratio, an unusual figure that may reflect incomplete or unreliable data rather than a meaningful trading signal.
• Negative Sentiment: A fire and explosion at a PepsiCo Quaker Oats plant could create temporary production, supply-chain and cost disruptions. Fire, Explosion Strike PepsiCo Quaker Oats Plant
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Ramon Laguarta reportedly sold approximately $4.05 million of PEP stock, which can weigh on sentiment even though insider sales may be routine. PepsiCo CEO Sells Stock
• Negative Sentiment: PepsiCo faces an ₹8,000 consumer payout over an alleged Lay’s packet-weight dispute, adding a minor legal and reputational concern. PepsiCo Faces Payout Over Lay’s Packet Weight Dispute
• Negative Sentiment: Commentary argues PepsiCo has lost focus in the cola business and notes Coca-Cola’s stronger recent share-price performance, raising concerns about execution and competitive positioning. PepsiCo Started Losing the Cola Wars

Analyst Ratings Changes

PEP has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Freedom Broker raised shares of PepsiCo from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, October 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $132.00 target price on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Friday, October 9th. BNP Paribas Exane lowered their target price on PepsiCo from $161.00 to $157.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 9th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded PepsiCo from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $143.28.

PepsiCo Price Performance

Shares of PepsiCo stock opened at $133.50 on Wednesday. PepsiCo, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $123.47 and a fifty-two week high of $171.48. The business’s fifty day moving average is $133.91 and its two-hundred day moving average is $145.96.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 7th. The company reported $2.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.29 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.39 EPS for the current year.

PepsiCo Company 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.