Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co Buys New Holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP

Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co purchased a new position in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 232,457 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $31,475,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of PEP. BlackRock Inc. boosted its position in PepsiCo by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 118,281,854 shares of the company's stock valued at $16,015,363,000 after buying an additional 2,440,377 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of PepsiCo by 1.8% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 59,499,819 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,356,155,000 after acquiring an additional 1,079,970 shares during the period. Auto Owners Insurance Co increased its position in shares of PepsiCo by 14,857.8% in the fourth quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 49,252,907 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,068,777,000 after acquiring an additional 48,923,629 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 33,617,937 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,814,835,000 after acquiring an additional 360,936 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 28,090,426 shares of the company's stock worth $4,031,646,000 after purchasing an additional 295,955 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 73.07% of the company's stock.

PepsiCo News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer highlighted PepsiCo as a defensive large-cap opportunity, citing its roughly 4% dividend yield and the potential benefit of lower oil prices. Cheaper fuel could support consumer spending and reduce transportation and operating costs. Jim Cramer Shares Why PepsiCo Caught His Eye During Consumer Headwinds
• Positive Sentiment: Investors remain attracted to PepsiCo’s 54-year record of consecutive dividend increases and comparatively reasonable valuation. Improving international results could help offset continuing weakness in North America, supporting the case for income-oriented investors. Most Investors Overlook This. I’m Buying PepsiCo for Its Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo is pursuing growth beyond its traditional snack portfolio by introducing and emphasizing global flavors, a strategy that could broaden consumer appeal and create new avenues for international growth. PepsiCo Bets on Global Flavors to Grow Beyond Snacks
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary describing consumer staples as a lagging sector frames PepsiCo as a value opportunity rather than a near-term growth leader. The investment appeal depends on the stock’s discounted valuation, dividend support and execution on its recovery plans. The Consumer Staples Sector Is Lagging the S&P 500
• Negative Sentiment: Texas authorities are investigating PepsiCo and Kraft Heinz over claims involving avocado oil. The outcome and scope of the investigation are unclear, but regulatory scrutiny could create legal, reputational or product-related costs. PepsiCo, Kraft Heinz Under Investigation in Texas Over Avocado Oil Claims
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts note that PepsiCo’s dividend faces pressure from slower growth, persistent North American weakness and a more difficult recovery than the commodity-driven risks facing Chevron. This raises questions about future payout growth, despite the company’s long dividend history. Chevron or PepsiCo: Whose Dividend Is Standing on Thinner Ice?

PepsiCo Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of NASDAQ PEP opened at $141.07 on Friday. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 1 year low of $133.73 and a 1 year high of $171.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.91, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.74. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $139.86 and a 200 day moving average of $149.51. The stock has a market cap of $192.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.35.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 9th. The company reported $2.20 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.19 by $0.01. PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.78% and a return on equity of 54.63%. The business had revenue of $24.18 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.95 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.92 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. PepsiCo has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.550-8.710 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 4th will be given a dividend of $1.48 per share. This represents a $5.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 4th. PepsiCo's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 77.59%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PEP has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Rothschild & Co Redburn boosted their price target on PepsiCo from $130.00 to $132.00 in a report on Monday, May 11th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Piper Sandler set a $176.00 target price on PepsiCo in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Barclays raised their price target on PepsiCo from $138.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane reduced their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $195.00 to $183.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $157.90.

Insider Transactions at PepsiCo

In other PepsiCo news, EVP David Flavell sold 2,900 shares of PepsiCo stock in a transaction on Monday, July 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.54, for a total transaction of $404,666.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 74,825 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,441,080.50. The trade was a 3.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.12% of the company's stock.

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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