Trust Co. of Vermont Purchases New Shares in PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP

Trust Co. of Vermont acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 110,474 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,958,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Auto Owners Insurance Co grew its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 14,857.8% during 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 purchasing an additional 48,923,629 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in PepsiCo in the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,018,813,000. Diamant Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in PepsiCo by 16,146.5% during the 1st quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,586,423 shares of the company’s stock worth $556,936,000 after buying an additional 3,564,348 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its position in PepsiCo by 952.6% in the 2nd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 3,715,812 shares of the company’s stock valued at $503,121,000 after buying an additional 3,362,794 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of PepsiCo by 120.7% during the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 5,916,417 shares of the company’s stock worth $830,902,000 after acquiring an additional 3,235,726 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on PEP. Piper Sandler set a $176.00 price objective on PepsiCo in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. TD Cowen reduced their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $150.00 to $145.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $130.00 to $132.00 in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $150.00 to $140.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $180.00 to $160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $157.90.

Insider Transactions at PepsiCo

In related news, EVP David Flavell sold 2,900 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.54, for a total transaction of $404,666.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 74,825 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,441,080.50. This represents a 3.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting PepsiCo

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo’s international business is approaching $40 billion in annual revenue, supported by overseas volume growth, market-share gains and continued investment. A greater contribution from international markets could diversify growth beyond the mature U.S. business. Is PepsiCo’s Growth Story Becoming More Internationally Focused?
• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo is reportedly considering Iraq as a potential Middle East manufacturing hub. Such an investment could improve regional production and distribution, although the project remains prospective. Will Iraq become PepsiCo’s Next Middle East Manufacturing Hub?
• Positive Sentiment: Several dividend-investing articles continue to present PepsiCo as a long-term income and defensive consumer-staples holding. That supports demand from investors seeking reliable cash distributions, particularly while interest rates remain elevated. 3 Dividend Stocks to Buy Before August Ends and Hold for Life
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts collectively rate PepsiCo “Hold,” suggesting the stock’s valuation and dependable dividend are balanced against limited near-term growth and execution risks. PepsiCo Receives Consensus Recommendation of Hold
• Negative Sentiment: India’s food-safety regulator issued notices to major food companies, including PepsiCo, over alleged misleading advertising and labeling claims. The developments could bring compliance costs, reputational concerns or product changes. Food Safety Regulator Notices Major Food Companies
• Negative Sentiment: Consumers are shifting toward healthier and lower-sugar beverages, increasing competition from brands such as Olipop. PepsiCo’s acquisition of Poppi gives it exposure to the trend, but the transition could pressure traditional soda demand and require greater innovation spending. How Olipop Is Beating Big Soda at Its Own Game

PepsiCo Price Performance

PEP stock opened at $144.67 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $139.99 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $150.13. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 1 year low of $133.73 and a 1 year high of $171.48. The stock has a market cap of $197.46 billion, a PE ratio of 18.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.91.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 9th. The company reported $2.20 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.19 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $24.18 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.95 billion. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 54.63% and a net margin of 10.78%.The business’s revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.92 EPS. PepsiCo has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.550-8.710 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 4th will be issued a $1.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 4th. This represents a $5.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.1%. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 77.59%.

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.