Assetmark Inc. Grows Position in PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP

Key Points

• Assetmark Inc. boosted its stake in PepsiCo by 18.9% in Q4 to 148,071 shares, worth about $21.25 million.
• PepsiCo's board authorized a $10.0 billion share buyback (up to 4.7% of shares) and the company paid a quarterly dividend of $1.4225 (annualized $5.69, yield ~3.7%).
• PepsiCo beat quarterly EPS estimates ($2.26 vs. $2.24) with revenue of $29.34 billion (+5.6% YoY); analysts’ consensus rating is "Hold" with a $168.16 target price.

Assetmark Inc. boosted its stake in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Free Report) by 18.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 148,071 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 23,589 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc.'s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $21,251,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. State Street Corp lifted its position in PepsiCo by 1.8% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 59,499,819 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,356,155,000 after purchasing an additional 1,079,970 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in PepsiCo by 7.6% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 13,617,747 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,912,476,000 after purchasing an additional 958,701 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc lifted its position in PepsiCo by 1.3% during the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 8,902,664 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,250,290,000 after purchasing an additional 118,286 shares in the last quarter. Amundi lifted its position in PepsiCo by 30.0% during the third quarter. Amundi now owns 8,641,588 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,207,230,000 after purchasing an additional 1,995,362 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its position in PepsiCo by 2.0% during the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 8,112,038 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,139,255,000 after purchasing an additional 155,636 shares in the last quarter. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PepsiCo Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of PEP stock opened at $154.85 on Thursday. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 12-month low of $127.60 and a 12-month high of $171.48. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $160.23 and its 200-day moving average price is $151.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $211.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 0.40.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, February 2nd. The company reported $2.26 earnings per share (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 firm had revenue of $29.34 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $28.96 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.96 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Tuesday, February 3rd that permits the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 4.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th were issued a $1.4225 dividend. This represents a $5.69 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 6th. PepsiCo's payout ratio is 94.83%.

PepsiCo News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Prediction markets are pricing in a strong chance of an earnings beat for Q1 (Polymarket shows high beat probability), which could buoy the stock if results and commentary meet expectations. PepsiCo Earnings Prediction Market Preview: What Will Ramon Laguarta Say?
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts have revised forecasts ahead of the call, raising odds of a positive post‑earnings reaction if guidance and margins are stable. PepsiCo Likely To Report Higher Q1 Earnings; These Most Accurate Analysts Revise Forecasts Ahead Of Earnings Call
• Positive Sentiment: Celebrity/influencer support: Jim Cramer publicly said he’s impressed with PepsiCo’s handling of demand shifts (GLP‑1 era), which can help sentiment among retail investors. Jim Cramer Notes He is Impressed With “Pepsi’s Dealing With the Travails of Processed Food and the Year of GLP-1”
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend reliability and yield continue to be a structural positive for investors seeking income, highlighted in recent commentary about long‑term shareholder returns. Early Pepsi stock investors now earn a 10% dividend yield
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple earnings previews and “everything to know” pieces set expectations for Q1 revenue around ~$18.9B and EPS ~ $1.54–1.55; these previews keep attention on guidance and margin commentary rather than creating new catalysts. PepsiCo (PEP) Reports Q1: Everything You Need To Know Ahead Of Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Previews note expected higher Q1 sales following price cuts — that supports top‑line momentum but leaves the market focused on whether margin recovery follows. PepsiCo Expected to Post Higher 1Q Sales Following Price Cuts -- Earnings Preview
• Negative Sentiment: Barclays trimmed its price target to $154 and kept an Equal‑Weight rating, signaling limited near‑term upside and adding downward pressure on sentiment. Barclays adjusts PepsiCo price target to $154 from $160, maintains Equal Weight rating
• Negative Sentiment: Price cuts and product revamps aim to stimulate demand but raise near‑term margin risk — Barron’s and Seeking Alpha flag margins and Frito‑Lay volume issues as key risk areas for the print. PepsiCo Cuts Prices, Revamps Products. Earnings Will Show if It's Working.
• Negative Sentiment: Corporate/legal overhang: PepsiCo settled an EEOC lawsuit related to a fired blind worker, a reputational/legal item that may modestly weigh on sentiment. PepsiCo Settles EEOC Lawsuit on Behalf of Fired Blind Worker
• Negative Sentiment: Activist pressure (Elliott) increases scrutiny — coverage notes PepsiCo must show the Elliott‑triggered turnaround is working, adding execution risk if results or guidance disappoint. PepsiCo faces pressure to show Elliott-triggered turnaround is working

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on PepsiCo from $162.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on PepsiCo from $172.00 to $181.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on PepsiCo from $176.00 to $169.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 30th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on PepsiCo from $190.00 to $186.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on PepsiCo from $154.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $168.16.

PepsiCo 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding PEP? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.