Flputnam Investment Management Co. Trims Stock Position in PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP

Flputnam Investment Management Co. cut its stake in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 64.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 32,605 shares of the company’s stock after selling 58,234 shares during the period. Flputnam Investment Management Co.’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $4,680,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. MH & Associates Securities Management Corp ADV purchased a new stake in PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Imprint Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in PepsiCo in the third quarter valued at $31,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Strategic Advocates LLC purchased a new stake in PepsiCo in the third quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Highline Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in PepsiCo by 56.3% in the fourth quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 250 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. 73.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PepsiCo Trading Up 1.4%

NASDAQ PEP opened at $147.74 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.90. The firm has a market cap of $201.93 billion, a PE ratio of 23.19, a P/E/G ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.38. PepsiCo, Inc. has a one year low of $127.60 and a one year high of $171.48. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $153.52 and its two-hundred day moving average is $152.63.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 15th. The company reported $1.61 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.55 by $0.06. PepsiCo had a net margin of 9.15% and a return on equity of 56.61%. The company had revenue of $19.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.89 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.48 earnings per share. PepsiCo’s quarterly revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.63 earnings per share for the current year.

PepsiCo declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Tuesday, February 3rd that permits the company to buyback $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to purchase up to 4.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 5th will be paid a dividend of $1.48 per share. This represents a $5.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.0%. This is a positive change from PepsiCo’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.42. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 5th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 89.32%.

Trending Headlines about PepsiCo

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Piper Sandler reaffirmed a Buy rating on PepsiCo with a $181 price target, suggesting analysts still see upside despite rising inflation concerns. Piper Sandler Sticks With Buy Rating on PepsiCo (PEP) Amid Inflation Concerns
• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo is highlighting its product quality and marketing with new packaging that will carry a “no artificial flavours or colours” label, which could help reinforce consumer trust and support demand for its brands. PepsiCo new packaging to carry ‘no artificial flavours or colours’ label
• Neutral Sentiment: PepsiCo management said the company is emphasizing “hustle,” curiosity, and adaptability in hiring as AI reshapes talent needs. This is more of a workforce/culture update than an immediate earnings driver. As Amazon And Others Turn To AI Hiring Tools, PepsiCo Doubles Down On ‘Hustle’ And Curiosity
• Neutral Sentiment: Several analyst and industry pieces noted that PepsiCo’s valuation targets have been adjusted modestly and that the soft drink sector is facing tariff and cost pressures, but these updates were largely incremental rather than a major change in fundamentals. How The PepsiCo (PEP) Story Is Shifting As Analysts Rework Targets And Assumptions
• Negative Sentiment: One market report said PepsiCo stock underperformed peers on Tuesday, reflecting some relative weakness versus competitors even as broader sector themes remained mixed. PepsiCo Inc. stock underperforms Tuesday when compared to competitors

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $180.00 to $183.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $172.00 to $178.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $162.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $170.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $170.11.

PepsiCo 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.