Advisors Capital Management LLC Cuts Stock Position in PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP

Key Points

• Advisors Capital Management LLC cut its stake in PepsiCo by 8.0% in Q4, selling 20,980 shares and now owns 239,723 shares valued at about $34.4 million.
• PepsiCo beat Q1 estimates with $1.61 EPS (vs. $1.55) and $19.44 billion revenue, set FY2026 EPS guidance of 8.465–8.628, and authorized a $10 billion share repurchase while paying a quarterly dividend that yields ~3.7%.
• Wall Street's consensus is a Hold with a $170.26 price target (8 Buys, 11 Holds, 1 Sell), and institutional investors own roughly 73% of the stock.

Advisors Capital Management LLC lessened its position in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Free Report) by 8.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 239,723 shares of the company's stock after selling 20,980 shares during the quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC's holdings in PepsiCo were worth $34,405,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in shares of PepsiCo by 12.4% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 59,392 shares of the company's stock worth $9,031,000 after purchasing an additional 6,574 shares in the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP acquired a new position in PepsiCo during the 1st quarter valued at about $251,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in PepsiCo by 138.5% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 6,527 shares of the company's stock valued at $862,000 after buying an additional 3,790 shares during the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. boosted its holdings in PepsiCo by 10.1% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 38,164 shares of the company's stock worth $5,039,000 after acquiring an additional 3,502 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. grew its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 45.5% during the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 536,133 shares of the company's stock worth $70,789,000 after acquiring an additional 167,707 shares during the last quarter. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting PepsiCo

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo announced a partnership with Google Cloud to accelerate AI across its supply chain, which could improve forecasting, reduce costs and support margins over time. PepsiCo partners with Google Cloud to boost AI supply chain
• Positive Sentiment: Management delivered a Q1 beat and is expanding Gatorade beyond traditional sports marketing — an earnings upside plus brand extension that supports near-term revenue and longer-term growth in the sports/functional beverage category. PepsiCo expands Gatorade beyond sports as Q1 earnings beat
• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo broadened its Quaker snack lineup with Protein Rice Crisps, supporting the company’s shift into higher-growth, health-forward food SKUs that can offset soda volume pressure. PepsiCo expands Quaker portfolio with Protein Rice Crisps
• Positive Sentiment: Media pieces and screeners are flagging PEP as a defensive, “safe” stock amid geopolitical uncertainty — investor sentiment that can support multiples in volatile markets as Pepsi leans into health-focused brands and innovation. PepsiCo Inc. (PEP): Fortress for Capital Preservation Amid Geopolitical Instability
• Positive Sentiment: High-visibility promotion: Gatorade launched a global football campaign (“Is It In You?”) tied to elite athletes — a marketing push that can drive awareness and seasonal volume. GATORADE ASSERTS THERE ARE NO SHORTCUTS TO GREATNESS IN NEW 'IS IT IN YOU?' GLOBAL FOOTBALL CAMPAIGN
• Positive Sentiment: Celebrity/influencer attention: Jim Cramer highlighted a potentially strong upcoming Pepsi product, which can boost retail interest and short-term sentiment. Jim Cramer Reveals Potentially Hot Upcoming Pepsi Product
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage comparing Coca‑Cola and PepsiCo reinforces the different growth profiles (Coke’s Zero Sugar momentum vs. PepsiCo’s international/foods mix) — useful for portfolio allocation but not an immediate catalyst. Got 5,000? Coca-Cola vs. PepsiCo – One Has Quietly Outperformed for a Decade
• Neutral Sentiment: Inclusion on “bear-market” and beginner-safe stock lists highlights defensive appeal; supports demand in risk-off environments but is not a near-term earnings driver. 5 Best Bear Market Stocks to Invest In Right Now
• Negative Sentiment: Analysis suggests PepsiCo’s conservative accounting may mask softer underlying results — a potential concern for investors parsing quality of earnings and near-term profit sustainability. PepsiCo's NASDAQ: PEP Conservative Accounting Might Explain Soft Earnings

PepsiCo Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of PEP stock opened at $155.44 on Friday. PepsiCo, Inc. has a twelve month low of $127.60 and a twelve month high of $171.48. The stock has a market cap of $212.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.40. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $158.61 and a 200 day moving average of $152.14. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 16th. The company reported $1.61 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.55 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $19.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.89 billion. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 56.61% and a net margin of 9.15%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.48 EPS. PepsiCo has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.465-8.628 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.63 EPS for the current year.

PepsiCo announced 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 purchase up to 4.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th were given a dividend of $1.4225 per share. This represents a $5.69 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 6th. PepsiCo's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 89.32%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $154.00 to $158.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of PepsiCo from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 18th. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $172.00 to $181.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $165.00 to $163.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Citigroup upped their target price on PepsiCo from $170.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $170.26.

About PepsiCo

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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