World Investment Advisors Boosts Stock Holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP

Key Points

• World Investment Advisors increased its PepsiCo stake by 14% in the fourth quarter, adding 6,830 shares and bringing its total holding to 55,460 shares worth about $7.96 million.
• PepsiCo reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $1.61 and revenue of $19.44 billion, both ahead of analyst estimates; revenue also rose 8.5% year over year.
• The company boosted its quarterly dividend to $1.48 per share and continues a $10 billion share buyback program, signaling confidence in its cash generation and capital returns.

World Investment Advisors grew its position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP - Free Report) by 14.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 55,460 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 6,830 shares during the quarter. World Investment Advisors' holdings in PepsiCo were worth $7,960,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in PEP. Winthrop Partners WNY LLC acquired a new position in PepsiCo in the 4th quarter valued at $479,000. Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC acquired a new stake in PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth $76,000. Advisortrust Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the fourth quarter worth $2,947,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of PepsiCo by 5.0% in the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,545,798 shares of the company's stock valued at $366,101,000 after buying an additional 120,119 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Auto Owners Insurance Co lifted its stake 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 worth $7,068,777,000 after buying an additional 48,923,629 shares in the last quarter. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More PepsiCo News

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Rothschild & Co Redburn raised its price target on PepsiCo to $132 from $130, signaling continued confidence in the business even though the target still implies downside from the current share price. MarketScreener
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlighted early signs that PepsiCo Foods North America may help drive a 2026 turnaround, citing rebound in snack volumes, pricing improvements, and a push toward healthier offerings. Will PepsiCo Foods North America Drive a 2026 Turnaround?
• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo continues to emphasize operational and growth initiatives, including local production expansion in Abu Dhabi and efforts to decarbonize farming with Fertiberia, which can support supply-chain efficiency and brand positioning over time. Arabian Business
• Neutral Sentiment: PepsiCo said it used Walmart data to rethink its product launch playbook, suggesting the company is trying to improve execution and innovation but with no immediate financial impact yet. How PepsiCo Used Walmart's Data to Rethink Launch Playbook
• Neutral Sentiment: PepsiCo is reportedly boosting local production in Abu Dhabi and expanding green-fertilizer partnerships in Europe, both of which may help long-term sustainability and regional growth but are not major near-term stock catalysts. PepsiCo and Fertiberia working to decarbonise potato and corn farming across ~400,000 acres in Europe
• Negative Sentiment: Elliott Investment Management has reportedly built a $4 billion stake in PepsiCo and is pushing for margin improvements in North American snacks and beverages, increasing activist pressure on management to accelerate change. Elliott’s US$4b PepsiCo Stake Puts North American Margins In Focus

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on PEP shares. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $190.00 to $186.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. TD Cowen raised their target price 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. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on PepsiCo from $154.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. HSBC increased their price target on PepsiCo from $175.00 to $176.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $170.37.

PepsiCo Stock Down 3.4%

Shares of NASDAQ PEP opened at $149.41 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98. The business's 50 day moving average is $156.59 and its two-hundred day moving average is $152.48. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 52-week low of $127.60 and a 52-week high of $171.48. The firm has a market cap of $204.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.46, a PEG ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.38.

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

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 5th will be given a $1.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 5th. This represents a $5.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.0%. This is an increase from PepsiCo's previous quarterly dividend of $1.42. PepsiCo's dividend payout ratio is presently 89.32%.

PepsiCo declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, February 3rd that allows the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 4.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign 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.

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