PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) Stock Rating Upgraded by Argus

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) was upgraded by equities researchers at Argus to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on PepsiCo from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. DZ Bank upgraded PepsiCo from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $167.00 target price for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $164.00 to $176.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $156.00 target price on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn increased their price target on PepsiCo from $120.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, PepsiCo presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $167.83.

PepsiCo Price Performance

PEP opened at $164.39 on Tuesday. PepsiCo has a 1 year low of $127.60 and a 1 year high of $171.48. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $150.65 and its 200 day simple moving average is $147.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $224.66 billion, a PE ratio of 27.40, a P/E/G ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.85.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 2nd. The company reported $2.26 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.24 by $0.02. The company 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%. PepsiCo’s revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.96 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that PepsiCo will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

PepsiCo announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, February 3rd that allows the company to buyback $10.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to purchase up to 4.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On PepsiCo

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth approximately $3,018,813,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in 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 last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in PepsiCo by 120.7% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 5,916,417 shares of the company’s stock worth $830,902,000 after acquiring an additional 3,235,726 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 9.7% in the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 29,031,404 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,833,406,000 after purchasing an additional 2,556,163 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in shares of PepsiCo by 19.5% during the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 15,577,073 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,056,797,000 after purchasing an additional 2,541,455 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

PepsiCo News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo is pushing health-forward innovation with a national rollout of a prebiotic soda and a push into fiber snacks — moves that diversify the beverage/snack mix and target growing better-for-you demand. PepsiCo Bets On Prebiotic Cola And Fiber Snacks To Sustain Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Separate coverage highlights the national launch of PepsiCo’s prebiotic soda, signaling broader distribution and marketing support that could help accelerate adoption. Beverage buzz: PepsiCo launches its prebiotic soda nationally
• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo ran its first creator-led product launch aimed at Gen Z to reimagine snack formats and drive cultural relevance — a strategic marketing push that could support share gains with younger consumers. PepsiCo’s first creator-led product launch reimagines chips for Gen Z
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend-focused coverage notes PepsiCo’s March-quarter dividend payment and its long streak of increases, reinforcing income credibility and appeal to yield-seeking investors. Retirees Are Quietly Accumulating This 8% Dividend Grower With a Half-Century of Increases
• Neutral Sentiment: Management presented at the Consumer Analyst Group of New York conference (transcript), reiterating strategy around brand mix, pricing and productivity — useful detail for modelling but no major guidance shock reported. PepsiCo, Inc. (PEP) Presents at Consumer Analyst Group of New York Conference 2026 Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Slides from PepsiCo’s CAGNY presentation are available for deeper investor review of product pipeline, marketing spend and margin levers — important for longer-term conviction but not an immediate catalyst. PepsiCo, Inc. (PEP) Presents at Consumer Analyst Group of New York Conference 2026 – Slideshow
• Negative Sentiment: PepsiCo said it will cut prices on Cheetos, Doritos and other snacks after consumer backlash — a near-term risk to gross margins and pricing power that could weigh on profitability if promotions persist. PepsiCo to cut prices on Cheetos, Doritos, and more following consumer backlash

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.