Generali Asset Management SPA SGR Purchases 19,426 Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP

Key Points

• Generali Asset Management increased its PepsiCo stake 21.4% in the fourth quarter, buying 19,426 shares to hold 110,404 shares valued at about $15.845 million.
• PepsiCo's board approved a 4% quarterly dividend increase to $1.48 and authorized a $10 billion share buyback (up to ~4.7% of outstanding shares), signaling stronger shareholder returns.
• The company beat Q1 estimates with $1.61 EPS (vs. $1.55 expected) and $19.44 billion in revenue (+8.5% YoY), and reaffirmed FY2026 guidance of 8.465–8.628 EPS.

Generali Asset Management SPA SGR increased its position in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Free Report) by 21.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 110,404 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 19,426 shares during the quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR's holdings in PepsiCo were worth $15,845,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of PEP. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in PepsiCo by 12.4% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 59,392 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,031,000 after buying an additional 6,574 shares in the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP bought a new position in PepsiCo in the first quarter valued at approximately $251,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted 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 in the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. lifted its stake in PepsiCo by 10.1% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 38,164 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,039,000 after buying an additional 3,502 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. lifted its stake in PepsiCo by 45.5% in the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 536,133 shares of the company's stock valued at $70,789,000 after buying an additional 167,707 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 73.07% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. BNP Paribas Exane lifted their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $191.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $180.00 to $183.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $172.00 to $181.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, Argus raised shares of PepsiCo to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $170.26.

More PepsiCo News

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Board approved a 4% quarterly dividend increase to $1.48 (annualized yield ~3.8%), signaling cash-flow strength and bolstering income appeal for dividend investors. PepsiCo Declares Quarterly Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: Management is leaning on international expansion, product innovation and disciplined cost management while reaffirming its 2026 outlook — supports revenue visibility and EPS guidance that analysts are modeling. PepsiCo Stock Rises 9.4% in 6 Months: Buy Now or Stay Focused?
• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo completed pilot transactions for tokenized low‑carbon ammonia attributes and signed an agreement with TalusAg — advances its agricultural emissions targets and may improve supply‑chain resilience and ESG credentials. PepsiCo Tests Tokenized Low Carbon Ammonia To Tackle Farm Emissions
• Positive Sentiment: Retail and product wins: Subway national rollout of Poppi (prebiotic soda) extends distribution for Pepsi‑owned/partner brands and underscores the company’s push into healthier beverage categories. Subway rolls out poppi prebiotic sodas across US outlets
• Positive Sentiment: Partnerships with fast‑growing beverage players (e.g., Celsius distribution/partnership) amplify PepsiCo’s exposure to the energy and functional drinks category without all the organic growth risk. Celsius Is Winning The Energy Drink Battle With Pepsi In Its Corner
• Neutral Sentiment: Suja Life’s weak Nasdaq debut shows selective investor appetite in the healthy‑beverage IPO market; it highlights both opportunity and caution for large players acquiring niche brands. US stocks today: Paine Schwartz-backed Suja Life's shares fall 14% in Nasdaq debut
• Negative Sentiment: PETA protests outside PepsiCo HQ over alleged animal‑welfare issues create short‑term reputational risk and potential media scrutiny — monitor any escalation or supplier‑related disclosures. Video shows PETA activists encasing feet in cement outside PepsiCo HQ over bull abuse claims
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive context: Coca‑Cola’s stronger YTD performance and renewed investor backing highlight relative growth concerns and may pressure sentiment/relative valuation. Coke Keeps Beating Pepsi. Warren Buffett’s Bet Has Paid Off.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

Shares of PEP stock opened at $156.29 on Friday. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $157.25 and its 200-day simple moving average is $152.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98. The firm has a market cap of $213.61 billion, a PE ratio of 24.54, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.38. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 12 month low of $127.60 and a 12 month high of $171.48.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 16th. The company reported $1.61 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 net margin of 9.15% and a return on equity of 56.61%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.48 earnings per share. PepsiCo has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.465-8.628 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.63 EPS for the current fiscal 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. This is a boost from PepsiCo's previous quarterly dividend of $1.42. This represents a $5.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 5th. PepsiCo's payout ratio is presently 89.32%.

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

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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