Strive Asset Management LLC Purchases Shares of 15,000 PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP

Strive Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund acquired 15,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,107,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Clayton Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the 3rd quarter worth about $872,000. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. grew its position in PepsiCo by 2.6% during the second quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 185,961 shares of the company’s stock worth $24,554,000 after buying an additional 4,627 shares in the last quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC increased its stake in PepsiCo by 122.6% during the third quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 20,365 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,860,000 after acquiring an additional 11,217 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in PepsiCo by 11.7% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 12,659,046 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,671,500,000 after acquiring an additional 1,330,888 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amica Retiree Medical Trust bought a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $124,000. Institutional investors own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

PEP has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. TD Cowen upped their target price on PepsiCo from $162.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $163.00 to $164.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $190.00 price target on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Evercore lifted their price objective on PepsiCo from $152.00 to $165.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on PepsiCo from $164.00 to $176.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Eight 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $168.50.

PepsiCo Stock Down 1.4%

NASDAQ PEP opened at $167.28 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $153.56 and its 200 day simple moving average is $148.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.67. PepsiCo, Inc. has a one year low of $127.60 and a one year high of $171.48. The firm has a market cap of $228.61 billion, a PE ratio of 27.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 0.39.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 2nd. The company reported $2.26 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.24 by $0.02. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 57.92% and a net margin of 8.77%.The company had revenue of $29.34 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $28.96 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.96 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a dividend of $1.4225 per share. This represents a $5.69 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is presently 94.83%.

PepsiCo declared that its board has initiated a stock 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 buy up to 4.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

PepsiCo News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo avoided a potential class action over its health-plan smoker fee, removing a legal overhang and potential liability that could have been a distraction for management. PepsiCo Beats Would-be Class Suit Over Health Plan’s Smoker Fee
• Positive Sentiment: Management’s strategic actions — price cuts on key snack SKUs, a US$15B brand restage and a US$10B buyback authorization — aim to revive volumes and return capital, which can support top-line recovery and shareholder value over time. Investors view this as a constructive reshaping of growth and capital allocation. Snack Price Cuts And A US$10 Billion Buyback Could Be A Game Changer For PepsiCo (PEP)
• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly results/earnings coverage show PepsiCo posted an EPS and revenue beat in the latest quarter, supporting the business case for the strategic reset and buybacks. That underpins medium-term confidence even if near-term execution questions remain. Q4 Earnings Roundup: PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) And The Rest Of The Beverages, Alcohol, and Tobacco Segment
• Neutral Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada raised its price target to $165 but kept a “sector perform” (hold) rating — a modest signal that RBC sees limited near-term upside from current levels. PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) Given New $165.00 Price Target at Royal Bank Of Canada
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts broadly maintain “Hold”/consensus ratings on PEP, suggesting the street is mixed on upside catalysts beyond the announced reset and buybacks. PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Analysts
• Neutral Sentiment: Internal talent moves (e.g., Rajat Paul promoted to marketing manager — Global canisters & imports) are organizationally positive but unlikely to move the stock materially in the near term. PepsiCo elevates Rajat Paul to marketing manager- Global canisters & imports
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory uncertainty from changes to SEC rules on shareholder proposals has triggered lawsuits that include PepsiCo — a source of governance risk and potential legal costs that increases investor caution. Trump’s SEC gave companies more power over investors. Lawsuits pushed them back

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.