PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP Shares Newly Acquired by Shakespeare Wealth Management LLC

Key Points

• Shakespeare Wealth Management initiated a PepsiCo position by purchasing 18,145 shares valued at approximately $2.3 million. Institutional investors collectively own 73.07% of PepsiCo’s outstanding stock.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious, with a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $143.28 after several firms reduced their targets.
• PepsiCo exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting adjusted earnings of $2.34 per share and revenue of $25.27 billion, while North American demand and cost pressures remain key challenges.

Shakespeare Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Free Report) in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 18,145 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,299,000. PepsiCo makes up approximately 0.4% of Shakespeare Wealth Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 20th biggest position.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. grew its holdings in PepsiCo by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 118,281,854 shares of the company's stock worth $16,015,363,000 after acquiring an additional 2,440,377 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 60,406,932 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,179,099,000 after purchasing an additional 987,582 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 21,283,701 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,305,146,000 after purchasing an additional 133,325 shares in the last quarter. Amundi raised its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 16.8% in the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 11,444,671 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,777,243,000 after purchasing an additional 1,647,506 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its position in shares of PepsiCo by 4.9% during the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 11,817,684 shares of the company's stock worth $1,600,114,000 after purchasing an additional 549,336 shares during the last quarter. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PEP has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of PepsiCo from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research note on Thursday, September 24th. TD Cowen cut their price target on PepsiCo from $145.00 to $133.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, September 28th. Piper Sandler cut their price target on PepsiCo from $176.00 to $140.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 9th. UBS Group decreased their price target on PepsiCo from $159.00 to $145.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Friday, October 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, PepsiCo currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $143.28.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Ramon Laguarta sold 30,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.13, for a total value of $4,053,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 491,645 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $66,435,988.85. The trade was a 5.75% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Robert C. Pohlad bought 184,646 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 14th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $128.28 per share, with a total value of $23,686,388.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 433,009 shares in the company, valued at approximately $55,546,394.52. This trade represents a 74.35% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.12% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about PepsiCo

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo’s discounted valuation and dividend yield of approximately 4.3% could support a recovery. Analysts at Morningstar reportedly see greater upside in PepsiCo than Coca-Cola because of the lower valuation and potential for an operational rebound. Coca-Cola Vs. PepsiCo: Which Beverage Giant Offers Stronger Upside After Q3 Earnings?
• Positive Sentiment: The company is pursuing a North American reset centered on cost reductions, renewed brand investment and portfolio innovation. Successful execution could improve margins and revive growth. Its long-running dividend increases also reinforce PepsiCo’s appeal to defensive-income investors. PepsiCo's North America Reset: Can Cost Cuts Restore Growth?
• Positive Sentiment: Taco Bell is maintaining its relationship with PepsiCo and Mountain Dew, including Baja Blast, preserving an important restaurant-channel partnership. PepsiCo is also working with Grimme on virtual potato-harvesting technology designed to protect quality and reduce waste.
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary emphasizes that PepsiCo’s brands and staple products tend to remain resilient during economic slowdowns, but dividend reliability and long-term growth prospects vary across beverage companies. Coca-Cola has delivered stronger recent share-price performance despite PepsiCo’s higher yield. 3 Beverage Stocks With Dependable Brands
• Negative Sentiment: North America remains the central problem: stagnant demand, consumer pressure and elevated costs have prompted the reset. An activist investor’s involvement adds pressure for faster operational improvement and could increase uncertainty around strategy. PepsiCo Hasn't Been This Cheap Relative to Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Reports of an ₹8,000 payout related to a Lay’s packet-weight dispute create a minor legal and reputational overhang, while KFC’s decision to drop Pepsi signals some restaurant-channel weakness.

PepsiCo Trading Down 0.7%

NASDAQ PEP opened at $132.63 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.76. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $133.76 and its 200 day moving average price is $145.93. The company has a market capitalization of $180.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.06 and a beta of 0.35. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 12 month low of $123.47 and a 12 month high of $171.48.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 7th. The company reported $2.34 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.29 by $0.05. PepsiCo had a net margin of 11.09% and a return on equity of 53.08%. The firm had revenue of $25.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $24.95 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.29 earnings per share. PepsiCo's quarterly revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About PepsiCo

PepsiCo, Inc NASDAQ: PEP is a global food and beverage company whose portfolio includes Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Gatorade, Lay's, Doritos, Cheetos, Quaker, Tostitos, Fritos, and SodaStream. Its products span carbonated soft drinks, sports and energy beverages, bottled water, juices, convenient foods, snacks, and other packaged food offerings.

The company sells products through retail stores, restaurants, food-service providers, e-commerce platforms, and other distribution channels. PepsiCo serves consumers in North America and international markets across Latin America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific.

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