PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP Shares Acquired by Ieq Capital LLC

Key Points

• Ieq Capital LLC increased its PepsiCo stake by 12.7% in the fourth quarter, buying 55,983 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 497,495 shares worth about $71.4 million.
• Institutional ownership in PepsiCo remains high, with several major funds adding to positions; overall, about 73.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
• PepsiCo recently beat quarterly estimates with EPS of $1.61 on revenue of $19.44 billion and also raised its quarterly dividend to $1.48 per share, though some analysts have recently trimmed price targets and remain cautious on near-term upside.

Ieq Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Free Report) by 12.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 497,495 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 55,983 shares during the period. Ieq Capital LLC's holdings in PepsiCo were worth $71,400,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in PEP. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth approximately $3,018,813,000. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of PepsiCo by 120.7% during the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 5,916,417 shares of the company's stock worth $830,902,000 after buying an additional 3,235,726 shares during the period. Amundi boosted its position in shares of PepsiCo by 30.0% during the third quarter. Amundi now owns 8,641,588 shares of the company's stock worth $1,207,230,000 after buying an additional 1,995,362 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of PepsiCo by 1.2% during the fourth 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 period. Finally, Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec boosted its position in shares of PepsiCo by 151.7% during the third 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 period. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

PepsiCo News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo continues to expand its autonomous freight network with Gatik, a move that could improve logistics efficiency and help address staffing challenges in hard-to-serve routes. How PepsiCo’s Driverless Freight Rollout With Gatik (PEP) Has Changed Its Investment Story
• Positive Sentiment: The company also highlighted sustainability-focused farmer financing through Compeer Financial, which supports PepsiCo’s supply chain and long-term agricultural sourcing strategy. Compeer Financial Collaborates with PepsiCo to Provide Strip-Till Equipment Financing
• Neutral Sentiment: PepsiCo was included in a Q1 review of beverage, alcohol, and tobacco stocks, but the article was primarily a peer comparison and did not indicate a major new catalyst. Beverages, Alcohol, and Tobacco Stocks Q1 In Review: PepsiCo NASDAQ: PEP Vs Peers
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst estimate changes were modest, with Erste Group trimming FY2027 EPS slightly to $9.14 from $9.15, suggesting limited impact on the outlook.
• Negative Sentiment: TD Cowen cut its price target on PepsiCo to $150 from $165 and kept a hold rating, signaling more cautious near-term sentiment on the stock. TD Cowen adjusts PepsiCo price target to 150 from 165
• Negative Sentiment: Piper Sandler also lowered its price target on PepsiCo to $178 from $181, reinforcing the view that analysts see only limited upside from here. Piper Sandler adjusts price target on PepsiCo to 178 from 181

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on PEP. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on PepsiCo in a research report on Thursday. They set a "market perform" rating and a $143.00 price objective for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on PepsiCo from $172.00 to $178.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. BNP Paribas Exane upped their target price on PepsiCo from $191.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $167.35.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

PEP opened at $144.27 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $197.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.35. 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 business has a 50 day moving average price of $151.11 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $152.37.

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

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The business 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 dividend of $1.48 per share. This is a boost from PepsiCo's previous quarterly dividend of $1.42. 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%. PepsiCo's payout ratio is currently 92.94%.

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.