Forsta AP Fonden Acquires 49,800 Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP

Key Points

• Forsta AP Fonden increased its PepsiCo stake by 14.7% in the fourth quarter, buying 49,800 additional shares and bringing its total holdings to 388,100 shares valued at about $55.7 million.
• Institutional interest in PepsiCo remains strong overall, with major investors like Norges Bank, Vanguard, AQR, and Amundi also holding or adding to positions; roughly 73% of the stock is owned by institutions.
• PepsiCo has been supported by solid fundamentals and shareholder returns, including a quarterly dividend increase to $1.48 per share and an earnings beat for the latest quarter, though analysts remain mixed with an overall Hold rating.

Forsta AP Fonden boosted its holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Free Report) by 14.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 388,100 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 49,800 shares during the quarter. Forsta AP Fonden's holdings in PepsiCo were worth $55,700,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in PEP. Norges Bank bought a new position in PepsiCo in the 4th quarter worth about $3,018,813,000. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 120.7% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 5,916,417 shares of the company's stock valued at $830,902,000 after buying an additional 3,235,726 shares in the last quarter. Amundi raised its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 30.0% during the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 8,641,588 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,207,230,000 after buying an additional 1,995,362 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in PepsiCo by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 138,483,870 shares of the company's stock worth $19,875,205,000 after buying an additional 1,612,652 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec lifted its position in PepsiCo by 151.7% in the 3rd quarter. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec now owns 2,597,986 shares of the company's stock worth $364,861,000 after buying an additional 1,565,883 shares during the last quarter. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the company. TD Cowen boosted their target price on PepsiCo from $162.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on PepsiCo from $172.00 to $181.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on PepsiCo from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on PepsiCo from $169.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, PepsiCo has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $170.11.

Key PepsiCo News

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo continues to appeal to income investors after raising its quarterly dividend by 4% to $1.48 per share, reinforcing its reputation as a reliable dividend payer. Here is Why PepsiCo (PEP) is Among the Best Dividend-Paying Beverage Stocks to Buy Now
• Positive Sentiment: New sustainability and agricultural partnerships, including work with EIT Food and Fertiberia, support PepsiCo’s long-term supply chain resilience and lower-carbon goals. PepsiCo Foundation and EIT Food back young European farmers with new programme
• Positive Sentiment: The company is also being highlighted for brand and product strategy, including packaging and smaller-portion changes aimed at matching shifting consumer preferences and competing more effectively with rivals like Coca-Cola. Pepsi makes big change to counter Coca-Cola
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles frame PepsiCo as a strong brand and sponsorship player in global beverage markets, which is supportive of the long-term story but not a direct catalyst for the stock right now. APAC Non-Alcoholic Beverages Industry Sport Sponsorship Analysis Report 2025
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage of PepsiCo’s marketing leadership and “people and planet” branding reinforces the company’s positioning, but it appears more like thought leadership than a near-term earnings driver. How PepsiCo’s CMO Is Building Brands That Perform For People And Planet
• Negative Sentiment: The stock has been sliding alongside a stronger market, suggesting investors remain cautious despite PepsiCo’s defensive profile and dividend support. PepsiCo (PEP) Stock Slides as Market Rises: Facts to Know Before You Trade

PepsiCo Price Performance

PEP opened at $144.19 on Friday. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $153.13 and its 200 day simple moving average is $152.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.72. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 1 year low of $127.60 and a 1 year high of $171.48. The firm has a market cap of $197.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.64, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.38.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The company reported $1.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.55 by $0.06. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 56.61% and a net margin of 9.15%.The business had revenue of $19.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.89 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.48 EPS. PepsiCo's revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.63 earnings per share for the current year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 5th will be given a $1.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 5th. This represents a $5.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.1%. This is an increase from PepsiCo's previous quarterly dividend of $1.42. PepsiCo's dividend payout ratio is 92.94%.

PepsiCo announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Tuesday, February 3rd that allows the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 4.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

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.

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.