PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP Stock Holdings Cut by Essex LLC

Essex LLC lessened its position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 82.2% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 2,842 shares of the company’s stock after selling 13,089 shares during the quarter. Essex LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $399,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Claris Advisors LLC MO raised its stake in PepsiCo by 14.1% during the second quarter. Claris Advisors LLC MO now owns 2,490 shares of the company’s stock worth $329,000 after acquiring an additional 308 shares in the last quarter. Foster Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 4.6% in the 2nd quarter. Foster Group Inc. now owns 5,169 shares of the company’s stock worth $683,000 after purchasing an additional 229 shares during the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of PepsiCo by 46.4% during the 2nd quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 114,344 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,098,000 after purchasing an additional 36,239 shares in the last quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. lifted its holdings in PepsiCo by 2.5% during the 2nd quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 25,309 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,342,000 after purchasing an additional 620 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Clayton Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in PepsiCo in the third quarter valued at about $872,000. Institutional investors own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

PepsiCo Trading Up 1.7%

Shares of PEP opened at $139.37 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $145.54 and its 200-day simple moving average is $144.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $190.57 billion, a PE ratio of 26.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.49 and a beta of 0.42. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 12-month low of $127.60 and a 12-month high of $160.15. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 8th. The company reported $2.29 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.26 by $0.03. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 57.58% and a net margin of 7.82%.The firm had revenue of $23.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.91 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.31 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current year.

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 5th were issued a dividend of $1.4225 per share. This represents a $5.69 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 5th. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is currently 108.17%.

Key PepsiCo News

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo is expanding AI use across manufacturing and supply-chain operations, deploying AI-powered digital twins to test expansion plans and optimize plants — a move that can lower costs, improve capacity planning and support margins over time. PepsiCo Deploys AI-Powered Digital Twins of Manufacturing Facilities to Test Expansion Plans
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage assessing PepsiCo’s valuation after CES 2026 highlights partnerships with Siemens and NVIDIA — investors may re-rate PEP on expected multi-year efficiency and productivity gains from AI, supporting upside to long-term margins if execution succeeds. Assessing PepsiCo (PEP) Valuation After CES 2026 AI Partnership With Siemens And NVIDIA
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary notes PEP “edged higher after six straight declines,” reflecting short-term technical relief but not necessarily a change in fundamentals. PepsiCo edges higher after six straight declines
• Neutral Sentiment: Unusually large options activity was reported in PEP, which can signal traded positioning or hedging and often precedes short-term volatility; it’s ambiguous for direction. PepsiCo Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NASDAQ:PEP)
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry/peer comparisons and coverage (Coca?Cola vs Pepsi; dividend-focused pieces) are being published — useful for relative valuation but not immediate catalysts. Coca?Cola Vs Pepsi Stock: Which is the Better Investment for 2026?
• Neutral Sentiment: PepsiCo was mentioned in industry event coverage (TV & Video Insider Summit), which raises visibility but is not a direct earnings driver. PepsiCo, Church’s Chicken, Electronic Arts, Kenvue, Assembly Lead Insights at our TV & Video Insider Summit
• Negative Sentiment: The FTC’s unsealing of data has triggered a surge in price?fixing litigation naming PepsiCo and Walmart, increasing legal exposure and potential settlement costs as well as reputational risk; this is a material near?term overhang for the stock. PepsiCo and Walmart Face Price-Fixing Litigation Surge After FTC Unseals Data
• Negative Sentiment: A separate lawsuit alleges a decade?long price?fixing scheme involving Walmart and PepsiCo; even if ultimately denied, litigation can mean legal fees, management distraction and potential financial settlements. Lawsuit against Walmart, PepsiCo alleges decade-long price fixing scheme
• Negative Sentiment: Political and regulatory pressure on ultraprocessed foods and sugary drinks (new dietary guidance) has weighed on large packaged?food stocks, including PepsiCo, as policy shifts can affect marketing, product mix and sales. Kraft Heinz and Mondelez shares drop as Trump officials blast ultraprocessed foods and unveil new food pyramid

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on PEP. HSBC lifted their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $145.00 to $152.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, October 10th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on PepsiCo from $150.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 10th. Rothschild & Co Redburn boosted their price objective on PepsiCo from $117.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded PepsiCo from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the company from $151.00 to $164.00 in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $142.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, PepsiCo currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $158.68.

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.