Plato Investment Management Ltd Purchases 8,814 Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP

Plato Investment Management Ltd lifted its position in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 17.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 60,689 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,814 shares during the period. PepsiCo makes up approximately 0.6% of Plato Investment Management Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest position. Plato Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $8,458,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in PEP. Norges Bank bought a new position in PepsiCo in the second quarter valued at about $2,330,594,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 14,420.2% during the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,890,688 shares of the company’s stock valued at $513,726,000 after acquiring an additional 3,863,893 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 9.7% in the second quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 29,031,404 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,833,406,000 after purchasing an additional 2,556,163 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in PepsiCo by 19.5% in the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 15,577,073 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,056,797,000 after buying an additional 2,541,455 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP grew its position in shares of PepsiCo by 112.6% during the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 4,040,079 shares of the company’s stock worth $533,452,000 after purchasing an additional 2,139,847 shares in the last quarter. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PepsiCo News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat expectations (EPS $2.26 vs. $2.24; revenue roughly $29.3B) and management reiterated FY2026 guidance while reporting margin improvement — a core driver for today’s buying. Pepsi Pops as Investors Take Notice of Key Strategic Initiatives
• Positive Sentiment: Board approved a $10 billion share repurchase program, supporting EPS and signaling capital-return priority. PepsiCo to Repurchase $10.00 billion in Shares
• Positive Sentiment: Several brokerages lifted price targets after the strong quarter (UBS to $190, Morgan Stanley $180, JPMorgan $176, HSBC $175), which helps sustain buying interest. UBS Lifts PepsiCo Target JPMorgan Raises Target HSBC Adjusts Target
• Positive Sentiment: Management is cutting prices (up to ~15% on some snacks) and pivoting to “snack affordability” ahead of heavy seasonal demand (Super Bowl), which should boost volumes and retail sales. Guacamole & chip prices and PepsiCo price moves
• Positive Sentiment: Productivity and distribution integration (testing combined beverage/snack logistics) are cited as margin levers — management reported early positive results and operating-margin expansion. Productivity Strategy Analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: Pepsi is publicly adapting product mixes for health-conscious consumers (functional foods) and watching trends like GLP-1 drug use — outcomes are uncertain but the company is actively responding. How PepsiCo is adapting to GLP-1 use
• Neutral Sentiment: Activist investor interest (Elliott) remains a background catalyst; Pepsi is implementing changes but has said full refranchising isn’t being pursued — keeps outcomes dependent on execution. Elliott stake & catalyst analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Snack price cuts — and earlier consumer backlash over pricing — could pressure near-term gross margins until volume gains offset the lower pricing. PepsiCo to cut some US snack prices

PepsiCo Trading Up 1.8%

PepsiCo stock opened at $170.49 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.85. The stock has a market cap of $233.00 billion, a PE ratio of 28.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 0.40. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $147.65 and a two-hundred day moving average of $146.30. PepsiCo, Inc. has a one year low of $127.60 and a one year high of $170.75.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.24 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $29.34 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $28.96 billion. PepsiCo had a net margin of 8.77% and a return on equity of 57.92%. The company’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 posted $1.96 earnings per share. PepsiCo has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.550-8.710 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be paid a dividend of $1.4225 per share. This represents a $5.69 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is presently 94.83%.

PepsiCo announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, February 3rd that permits the company to buyback $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 4.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on PEP. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $170.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on PepsiCo from $164.00 to $176.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $155.00 to $162.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Piper Sandler increased their price target on PepsiCo from $161.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $148.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $167.16.

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.