Ameritas Advisory Services LLC Buys 8,299 Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP

Ameritas Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Free Report) by 65.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 20,902 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 8,299 shares during the period. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC's holdings in PepsiCo were worth $2,830,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. raised its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 2.1% in the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 118,281,854 shares of the company's stock valued at $16,015,363,000 after purchasing an additional 2,440,377 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 1.8% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 59,499,819 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,356,155,000 after acquiring an additional 1,079,970 shares during the last quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co increased its holdings in PepsiCo by 14,857.8% during the 4th quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 49,252,907 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,068,777,000 after purchasing an additional 48,923,629 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in PepsiCo by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 33,617,937 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,814,835,000 after purchasing an additional 360,936 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 28,090,426 shares of the company's stock worth $4,031,646,000 after purchasing an additional 295,955 shares during the last quarter. 73.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting PepsiCo

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo’s global convenient-foods organic volume reportedly rose 3% in the second quarter, supported by international demand, product innovation and affordability. The momentum suggests its snack portfolio may be stabilizing after recent pressure. PepsiCo's Snack Portfolio: What's Driving Volume Gains?
• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo is pursuing growth in a large fresh-food market as GLP-1 medications and health-conscious consumers increase demand for protein, fiber and less-processed products. Diversifying beyond traditional salty snacks could help offset weaker demand in some legacy categories. GLP-1 Drugs Are Pushing PepsiCo Into a New $271 Billion Market
• Positive Sentiment: Several opinion pieces characterize PepsiCo as an attractive or undervalued dividend investment. Its defensive consumer-staples business and income profile may appeal to investors seeking reliable cash returns, particularly after the stock’s recent weakness. PepsiCo: An Undervalued Dividend Machine Worth A Second Look
• Neutral Sentiment: PepsiCo is reformulating Gatorade, including the use of black carrots for its red coloring, as it responds to ingredient and consumer-preference trends. The move highlights ongoing innovation but does not yet establish a material financial impact. Inside PepsiCo’s battle to remake Gatorade
• Negative Sentiment: GLP-1 adoption is also viewed as a risk because users may eat less and reduce consumption of snacks. Articles questioning what is wrong with PepsiCo emphasize its significant underperformance over the past five years, keeping pressure on management to restore growth. What's Wrong With PepsiCo Stock?
• Negative Sentiment: Compared with Coca-Cola, PepsiCo is being scrutinized as the less compelling dividend choice by some investors because the companies have recently moved in opposite directions and Coca-Cola offers a higher yield. That comparison could limit enthusiasm for PEP among income-focused buyers. Coca-Cola vs PepsiCo: What's the Better Dividend Stock to Buy Right Now?

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP David Flavell sold 2,900 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.54, for a total transaction of $404,666.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 74,825 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,441,080.50. This trade represents a 3.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.12% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on PepsiCo from $180.00 to $160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 10th. Piper Sandler set a $176.00 price objective on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. UBS Group set a $159.00 target price on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $155.00 target price on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, TD Cowen reissued a "hold" rating on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Friday, August 28th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, PepsiCo currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $157.90.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

PEP stock opened at $138.45 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.91. PepsiCo, Inc. has a twelve month low of $133.73 and a twelve month high of $171.48. The company has a market cap of $188.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.35. The business's fifty day moving average is $139.74 and its 200-day moving average is $148.07.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 9th. The company reported $2.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.19 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $24.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.95 billion. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 54.63% and a net margin of 10.78%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.92 EPS. PepsiCo has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.550-8.710 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.57 EPS for the current year.

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 4th will be paid a $1.48 dividend. This represents a $5.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 4th. PepsiCo's payout ratio is presently 77.59%.

PepsiCo Profile

PepsiCo, Inc NASDAQ: PEP is a global food and beverage company headquartered in Purchase, New York. Its portfolio includes carbonated soft drinks, sports drinks, bottled water, juices, ready-to-drink beverages, snack foods and convenient foods. Major brands include Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Gatorade, Lay's, Doritos, Cheetos, Quaker and SodaStream.

The company sells products through a broad range of channels, including grocery stores, convenience stores, restaurants, food-service providers, vending operations and e-commerce platforms.

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