PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP Shares Acquired by Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd

Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd lifted its position in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 113,625.0% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 4,549 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,545 shares during the period. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $653,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in PepsiCo by 12.4% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 59,392 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,031,000 after acquiring an additional 6,574 shares during the period. Caxton Associates LLP acquired a new stake in PepsiCo in the 1st quarter valued at $251,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in PepsiCo by 138.5% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 6,527 shares of the company’s stock valued at $862,000 after acquiring an additional 3,790 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. grew its stake in PepsiCo by 10.1% in the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 38,164 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,039,000 after acquiring an additional 3,502 shares during the period. Finally, Sei Investments Co. grew its stake in PepsiCo by 45.5% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 536,133 shares of the company’s stock valued at $70,789,000 after acquiring an additional 167,707 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

PepsiCo Trading Up 1.4%

Shares of PEP opened at $146.25 on Tuesday. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 52-week low of $127.60 and a 52-week high of $171.48. 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 firm’s fifty day moving average is $150.90 and its two-hundred day moving average is $152.42. The stock has a market cap of $199.89 billion, a PE ratio of 22.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.35.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The company reported $1.61 earnings per share (EPS) 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 company had revenue of $19.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.89 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.48 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 5th will be issued a dividend of $1.48 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 5th. This represents a $5.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.0%. This is a boost from PepsiCo’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.42. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is presently 92.94%.

More PepsiCo News

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Unusual options activity showed traders buying far more call options than usual, suggesting some investors are positioning for a rebound in PepsiCo shares.
• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo continues to draw investor interest as a dividend and defensive large-cap stock, and one article highlighted the company among broader “best stocks to buy” lists.
• Neutral Sentiment: PepsiCo is expanding into newer growth areas, including its House of Treats beverage platform for entertainment and hospitality venues, and a regenerative farming partnership that could support longer-term brand and supply-chain strength.
• Neutral Sentiment: The stock advanced in the latest session but still lagged the broader market, reflecting a mixed near-term backdrop rather than a strong catalyst-driven move.
• Negative Sentiment: Piper Sandler cut its price target on PepsiCo, adding to concerns that growth is slowing and that near-term upside may be limited. PepsiCo (PEP) Price Target Lowered at Piper Sandler. Here is Why
• Negative Sentiment: TD Cowen also lowered its price target and kept a Hold rating, while cutting its second-quarter organic growth forecast below consensus, reinforcing worries about softer sales momentum. PepsiCo (PEP) Gets Mixed Wall Street Reviews as Growth Challenges Persist
• Negative Sentiment: Additional reports noted more analyst price-target reductions for PepsiCo, signaling that Wall Street expectations are moving lower ahead of the next results update. PepsiCo (PEP) Advances But Underperforms Market: Key Facts

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on PEP shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $130.00 to $132.00 in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Argus raised shares of PepsiCo to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $154.00 to $158.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 18th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, PepsiCo has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $167.35.

PepsiCo Company 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.