Abacus Planning Group Inc. Has $2.14 Million Stock Holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP

Key Points

• Abacus Planning Group raised its stake in PepsiCo by 124.5% in Q4, buying 8,286 shares to hold 14,940 shares valued at about $2.14 million per its recent 13F filing.
• PepsiCo announced a $10 billion share repurchase program (up to 4.7% of shares) and paid a quarterly dividend of $1.4225 (annualized $5.69, yield ~3.6%), underscoring management's focus on shareholder returns.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed—consensus rating is Hold with an average target of $169—even as PepsiCo recently beat quarterly EPS and revenue estimates and trades with a market cap near $215 billion.

Abacus Planning Group Inc. increased its position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Free Report) by 124.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 14,940 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 8,286 shares during the quarter. Abacus Planning Group Inc.'s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $2,144,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the second quarter worth $27,000. JCIC Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Imprint Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of PepsiCo by 667.7% in the 3rd quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC now owns 238 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 207 shares during the period. Finally, Strategic Advocates LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Institutional investors own 73.07% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on PEP. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of PepsiCo from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, March 7th. HSBC increased their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $152.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Rothschild & Co Redburn boosted their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $120.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. UBS Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $190.00 price objective on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on PepsiCo from $163.00 to $164.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $169.00.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

Shares of PEP opened at $157.01 on Friday. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $159.66 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $150.40. 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, Inc. has a twelve month low of $127.60 and a twelve month high of $171.48. The firm has a market cap of $214.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.17, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.40.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 2nd. The company reported $2.26 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.24 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $29.34 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.96 billion. PepsiCo had a net margin of 8.77% and a return on equity of 57.92%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.96 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, February 3rd that authorizes the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 4.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th were issued a $1.4225 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 6th. This represents a $5.69 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.6%. PepsiCo's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 94.83%.

PepsiCo News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: New product momentum — PepsiCo launched a highly anticipated soda flavor that generated consumer excitement and social buzz, which can support short-term sales and retail velocity. PepsiCo Just Dropped a Highly Anticipated Soda Flavor—and Fans Are 'Screaming' With Excitement
• Positive Sentiment: Brand refresh and packaging — PepsiCo began a Tostitos brand refresh with updated packaging, supporting snack category relevance and retail shelf appeal. Product/packaging updates can lift in-store sell-through. PepsiCo Begins Tostitos Brand Refresh, Introduces Updated Packaging
• Positive Sentiment: Deeper event and fandom integration — Initiatives like Pepsi Football Nation and new venue supply deals aim to embed brands in live entertainment, which may boost out-of-home sales and marketing ROI. Is Pepsi Football Nation And New Venue Deals Reshaping the Investment Case For PepsiCo (PEP)?
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend appeal and defensive demand — Coverage highlighting PepsiCo as a consistent dividend payer and a defensive consumer-staples play is drawing investor interest amid recession concerns. That helps support valuation in risk-off environments. 3 Consistent Dividend Payers Outperforming in 2026: VZ, PEP, MO
• Neutral Sentiment: Strategic/ESG investments — Examples include a UK solar investment for distribution sites; positive for long-term cost and sustainability but not an immediate earnings driver. Behind PepsiCo's US$4.8m Investment in UK Solar
• Neutral Sentiment: Ongoing coverage on valuation and earnings cadence — Several pieces revisit PepsiCo's valuation, historical earnings-beat record and comparisons with Coca‑Cola; useful context but no single story moving fundamentals today. PepsiCo (PEP) Valuation Check After Mixed Short And Long Term Shareholder Returns
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst target trim — Deutsche Bank lowered its price target on PEP (from $176 to $169) citing “mounting industry pressures,” though it kept a Buy rating. That introduces some moderation to upside expectations and may cap near-term gains. Deutsche Bank Sees Mounting Industry Pressures, Trims PepsiCo (PEP) Target

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.

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