Magnetar Financial LLC Sells 58,542 Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP

Magnetar Financial LLC reduced its position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 86.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 8,968 shares of the company’s stock after selling 58,542 shares during the period. Magnetar Financial LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $1,259,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Clayton Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the third quarter worth approximately $872,000. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. increased its holdings in PepsiCo by 2.6% during the second quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 185,961 shares of the company’s stock valued at $24,554,000 after buying an additional 4,627 shares during the last quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC raised its position in PepsiCo by 122.6% in the third quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 20,365 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,860,000 after acquiring an additional 11,217 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in PepsiCo by 11.7% in the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 12,659,046 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,671,500,000 after acquiring an additional 1,330,888 shares during the period. Finally, Mediolanum International Funds Ltd boosted its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 19.3% during the 3rd quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd now owns 252,916 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,451,000 after acquiring an additional 40,947 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about PepsiCo

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo is pushing AI across marketing, supply chain and R&D to drive efficiency and revenue growth — a technology-led productivity story that supports longer-term margin expansion. PepsiCo’s refreshing take on AI to fuel global growth
• Positive Sentiment: Industry sponsorship trends in EMEA (soccer-focused, high-value energy drink deals) create promotional and distribution opportunities for PepsiCo’s beverage brands in Europe — a demand tailwind for on-premise and event marketing. EMEA Non-Alcoholic Beverages Sponsorship in Sports Business Report 2025
• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo is actively expanding in meat snacks with the “Good Warrior” push and broader pivot into higher-growth savory/snack niches — a diversification move that could boost faster-growing, higher-margin categories over time. PepsiCo to fight for meat snack market share with ‘Good Warrior’
• Positive Sentiment: Several analyst pieces have turned constructive — noting revenue and margin recovery, an upgrade and a valuation case that still looks appealing vs. peers — which supports upside if execution continues. PepsiCo: Headwinds Are Finally Retreating (Rating Upgrade)
• Neutral Sentiment: PepsiCo agreed to buy prebiotic soda Poppi for about $1.95B to accelerate its functional, low‑sugar beverage push and expand into the UK — strategic for younger consumers but raising near-term valuation and integration questions. PepsiCo Poppi Deal Tests Functional Beverage Push And Valuation Gap
• Neutral Sentiment: Options-income trade ideas circulating in the market (sell options against PEP) reflect investor interest in collecting yield from a relatively stable consumer-staples name, but they’re more a derivative/positioning signal than a direct fundamental catalyst. Sell Options On PepsiCo For A 10%+ Yield
• Negative Sentiment: PepsiCo is closing some Frito‑Lay factories in 2026, which may reflect cost cutting and rationalization but also raises near-term execution, labor and supply‑chain disruption concerns that can pressure sentiment. PepsiCo is closing Frito-Lay factories in 2026 (Are more to come?)
• Negative Sentiment: Critical analysis notes that while trends are improving, some core problems — e.g., margin pressure in lower-growth categories and the need to prove sustainable organic growth — remain; that caution is likely weighing on the stock. PepsiCo: Improving, But Core Problems Remain

PepsiCo Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ PEP opened at $158.86 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $217.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.48, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.39. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 52-week low of $127.60 and a 52-week high of $171.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.85. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $156.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $149.59.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 2nd. The company reported $2.26 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.24 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $29.34 billion during 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 business’s revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.96 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, February 3rd that allows the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to purchase up to 4.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be issued a dividend of $1.4225 per share. This represents a $5.69 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 94.83%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on PEP shares. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on PepsiCo from $163.00 to $164.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Friday, January 9th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on PepsiCo from $154.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. BNP Paribas Exane reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded PepsiCo from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 7th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $169.00.

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.