PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP Shares Sold by Horizon Investments LLC

Key Points

• Horizon Investments trimmed its PepsiCo stake by 7.4%, selling 7,029 shares to hold 88,186 shares (~$12.66M), while other large institutions (AQR, Amundi, Vanguard, SG Americas) materially increased positions, leaving institutional ownership at 73.07%.
• PepsiCo beat quarterly estimates with EPS of $1.61 (vs. $1.55) and revenue of $19.44B (vs. $18.89B), up 8.5% year‑over‑year, and set FY2026 EPS guidance of 8.465–8.628, roughly in line with analysts' average forecast of 8.63.
• The board authorized a $10.0 billion share buyback (up to 4.7% of shares) and pays a $1.4225 quarterly dividend (annualized $5.69, 3.6% yield); analysts' consensus is a "Hold" with an average price target of $170.26 (8 Buys, 11 Holds, 1 Sell).

Horizon Investments LLC decreased its position in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Free Report) by 7.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 88,186 shares of the company's stock after selling 7,029 shares during the period. Horizon Investments LLC's holdings in PepsiCo were worth $12,656,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in PepsiCo by 120.7% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 5,916,417 shares of the company's stock worth $830,902,000 after purchasing an additional 3,235,726 shares in the last quarter. Amundi raised its holdings in PepsiCo by 30.0% in the third quarter. Amundi now owns 8,641,588 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,207,230,000 after acquiring an additional 1,995,362 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in PepsiCo by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 138,483,870 shares of the company's stock worth $19,875,205,000 after acquiring an additional 1,612,652 shares during the last quarter. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec grew its holdings in PepsiCo by 151.7% during 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 acquiring an additional 1,565,883 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC increased its position in shares of PepsiCo by 406.0% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 1,789,959 shares of the company's stock valued at $256,895,000 after purchasing an additional 1,436,216 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

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on PEP shares. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $165.00 to $163.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Citigroup raised their price target on PepsiCo from $170.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Evercore lifted their price target on PepsiCo from $165.00 to $170.00 in a report on Friday, April 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on PepsiCo from $172.00 to $178.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn boosted their target price on PepsiCo from $120.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $170.26.

Trending Headlines about PepsiCo

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo signed a 10‑year virtual power purchase agreement with Statkraft to cut ~32,000 metric tons of CO2 annually across Europe — supports sustainability targets and may lower long‑term energy costs. PepsiCo inks 10-year renewable energy deal to cut emissions across Europe
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised multiple near‑ and medium‑term EPS estimates (including FY2027 and FY2028), signaling improved analyst expectations for profitability. PepsiCo (PEP) analyst note (MarketBeat summary)
• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo is expanding electrification of distribution with a 50 electric delivery truck rollout in Fresno — incremental cost and emissions benefits and supports supply‑chain decarbonization narrative. Fresno PepsiCo rolls out 50 electric delivery trucks, aims to reduce emissions
• Positive Sentiment: Company announced a 2026 growth plan focused on cost cuts and product innovation — potential margin improvement and revenue growth tailwinds if execution holds. PepsiCo sets 2026 growth plan with cost cuts, innovation push
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and media pieces comparing Coca‑Cola vs. PepsiCo provide context for relative valuation and may drive short‑term trading but contain no new company‑specific catalysts. Coca-Cola vs. PepsiCo: Which Stock Is the Better Buy?
• Neutral Sentiment: PepsiCo plans to end its bottling/distribution partnership with Royal Unibrew in parts of Northern Europe by 2028 — strategic operational change that will require new local arrangements (potential short‑term costs, long‑term control). PepsiCo Bottling Shift In Northern Europe And What It Means For Valuation
• Negative Sentiment: PepsiCo apologised to South African consumers and pulled its ProNutro formula from shelves after a backlash — immediate reputational damage, potential regulatory scrutiny and lost sales in the market; this appears to be the most direct near‑term negative catalyst. PepsiCo apologises to South Africans and pulls ProNutro from shelves over formula backlash
• Negative Sentiment: PepsiCo is named in a consumer lawsuit alleging ultraprocessed foods can be addictive — legal risk and reputational headlines that could pressure longer‑term consumer perception and marketing costs. Food giants hit with consumer lawsuit calling ultraprocessed ingredients addictive
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group trimmed FY2026/27 EPS estimates slightly — a small downward analyst revision that marginally reduces near‑term analyst sentiment. Erste Group Bank analyst note (MarketBeat summary)

PepsiCo Trading Down 0.7%

PEP opened at $157.39 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $215.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.38. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 52 week low of $127.60 and a 52 week high of $171.48. The business's 50 day moving average is $157.96 and its two-hundred day moving average is $152.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The company reported $1.61 earnings per share (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 company's revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.48 earnings per share. PepsiCo has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.465-8.628 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.63 EPS for the current year.

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th were paid a $1.4225 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 6th. This represents a $5.69 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.6%. PepsiCo's payout ratio is currently 89.32%.

PepsiCo declared that its board has initiated a share buyback program on Tuesday, February 3rd that authorizes the company to buyback $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 4.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding PEP? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Free Report).

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.