PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP Stock Position Increased by Pittenger & Anderson Inc.

Key Points

• Pittenger & Anderson boosted its stake in PepsiCo by 503.5% in the fourth quarter, buying 20,712 shares to hold 24,826 shares worth about $3.56 million at quarter-end.
• PepsiCo recently beat quarterly estimates with $1.61 EPS vs. $1.55 expected and $19.44 billion in revenue (up 8.5% YoY), and its Board authorized a $10 billion share buyback while maintaining a quarterly dividend that yields about 3.6%.
• Company news is mixed: PepsiCo signed a 10‑year renewable PPA and is rolling out electric delivery trucks (sustainability wins), but faced a product pull and apology in South Africa over ProNutro and is named in a consumer lawsuit over ultraprocessed foods (reputational/legal risks).

Pittenger & Anderson Inc. boosted its position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Free Report) by 503.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 24,826 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 20,712 shares during the quarter. Pittenger & Anderson Inc.'s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $3,563,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. JCIC Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in PepsiCo during the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. MH & Associates Securities Management Corp ADV acquired a new position in PepsiCo during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Imprint Wealth LLC acquired a new position in PepsiCo during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Strategic Advocates LLC acquired a new position in PepsiCo during the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.07% of the company's stock.

PepsiCo News Roundup

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)

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on PEP. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $162.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $154.00 to $158.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $172.00 to $181.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. HSBC lifted their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $175.00 to $176.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $120.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $170.26.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

PepsiCo stock opened at $157.39 on Friday. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $157.96 and its 200-day simple moving average is $152.43. The company has a market cap of $215.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.38. 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 fifty-two week low of $127.60 and a fifty-two week high of $171.48.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The company reported $1.61 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 the consensus estimate of $18.89 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.48 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. PepsiCo has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.465-8.628 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.63 EPS for the current year.

PepsiCo declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan 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 shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th were given a dividend of $1.4225 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 presently 89.32%.

PepsiCo 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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