PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP Shares Purchased by Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC

Key Points

• Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors nearly doubled its PepsiCo stake in the fourth quarter, buying 44,824 more shares and bringing its total to 94,652 shares worth about $13.6 million.
• PepsiCo reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $1.61 beating estimates and revenue of $19.44 billion topping expectations; sales rose 8.5% year over year.
• The company also boosted its quarterly dividend to $1.48 per share from $1.42 and authorized a $10 billion share buyback, though the stock was trading down about 3.2% and analysts currently view it as a Hold.

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Free Report) by 90.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 94,652 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 44,824 shares during the period. PepsiCo accounts for about 0.8% of Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest holding. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC's holdings in PepsiCo were worth $13,584,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. MH & Associates Securities Management Corp ADV acquired a new stake in PepsiCo in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Imprint Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the third quarter worth $31,000. Strategic Advocates LLC acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the third quarter worth $33,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Highline Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of PepsiCo by 56.3% during the 4th quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 250 shares of the company's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.07% of the company's stock.

PepsiCo Trading Down 3.2%

NASDAQ PEP opened at $145.68 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.90. The firm has a market cap of $199.11 billion, a PE ratio of 22.87, a P/E/G ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.38. PepsiCo, Inc. has a one year low of $127.60 and a one year high of $171.48. The firm's fifty day moving average is $153.72 and its two-hundred day moving average is $152.59.

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

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

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 5th will be paid a dividend of $1.48 per share. This represents a $5.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.1%. This is a positive change from PepsiCo's previous quarterly dividend of $1.42. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 5th. PepsiCo's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 92.94%.

Key Headlines Impacting PepsiCo

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo’s innovation push in functional snacks, better-for-you drinks, and refreshed core brands could help reaccelerate growth in 2026 if execution improves. Can PepsiCo's Innovation Push Reignite its Growth in 2026?
• Positive Sentiment: Industry commentary says PepsiCo has pricing power and brand strength to navigate tariff and cost pressures, which supports the long-term earnings outlook. Zacks Industry Outlook Highlights Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Monster Beverage, Fomento Economico Mexicano and Vita Coco
• Neutral Sentiment: PepsiCo’s CPO comments about hiring agile, curious employees in the AI era point to a shift in talent strategy, but this is unlikely to move the stock much by itself. The use of AI in food NPD is changing
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts have slightly trimmed PepsiCo’s fair value estimate while others raised targets, signaling a mixed but still broadly constructive outlook. How The PepsiCo (PEP) Story Is Shifting As Analysts Rework Targets And Assumptions
• Negative Sentiment: PepsiCo stock underperformed peers, reinforcing concerns that investors are rotating away from the name amid slower sentiment and competitive worries. PepsiCo Inc. stock underperforms Tuesday when compared to competitors
• Negative Sentiment: A new Walmart soda line adds another competitor in a market where younger consumers are increasingly buying functional beverages, which could pressure Pepsi’s share. New Walmart soda line takes on Coca-Cola and PepsiCo
• Negative Sentiment: Planned snack price increases could support margins, but they also highlight ongoing input-cost pressure and may risk demand softness if consumers trade down. Bloomberg Reports PepsiCo Preparing New Snack Price Increases for Late June

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on PEP. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Evercore lifted their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $165.00 to $170.00 in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Argus raised shares of PepsiCo to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of PepsiCo from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, April 18th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $170.11.

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.

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