Verdence Capital Advisors LLC Acquires 5,456 Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP

Verdence Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 16.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 39,285 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,456 shares during the period. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $4,978,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. boosted its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 118,281,854 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,015,363,000 after purchasing an additional 2,440,377 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its stake in PepsiCo by 1.7% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 60,406,932 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,179,099,000 after purchasing an additional 987,582 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in shares of PepsiCo by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 21,283,701 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,305,146,000 after buying an additional 133,325 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in PepsiCo by 4.9% during the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 11,817,684 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,600,114,000 after purchasing an additional 549,336 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi increased its holdings in PepsiCo by 16.8% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 11,444,671 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,777,243,000 after buying an additional 1,647,506 shares during the period. 73.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PepsiCo Price Performance

PepsiCo stock opened at $135.46 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $184.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.02, a PEG ratio of 4.06 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 52-week low of $123.47 and a 52-week high of $171.48. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $134.12 and a 200-day simple moving average of $145.99.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 7th. The company reported $2.34 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.29 by $0.05. PepsiCo had a net margin of 11.09% and a return on equity of 53.08%. The business had revenue of $25.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $24.95 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.29 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. BNP Paribas Exane reduced their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $161.00 to $157.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on PepsiCo from $138.00 to $137.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $161.00 to $150.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. Evercore lowered their target price on PepsiCo from $150.00 to $135.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 30th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $143.28.

Insider Transactions at PepsiCo

In other PepsiCo news, Director Robert C. Pohlad purchased 184,646 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 14th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $128.28 per share, with a total value of $23,686,388.88. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 433,009 shares in the company, valued at approximately $55,546,394.52. This trade represents a 74.35% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Ramon Laguarta sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.13, for a total transaction of $4,053,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 491,645 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $66,435,988.85. This trade represents a 5.75% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.12% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Key PepsiCo News

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo appears potentially undervalued after a choppy year, with investors assessing whether its current valuation is supported by the company’s earnings power. Its sizeable dividend remains a potential attraction for long-term income investors. PepsiCo Stock Looks Below Fair Value After a Choppy Year
• Positive Sentiment: Heavy call-option buying indicates that some traders are positioning for a rebound, though options activity is not a guarantee of future performance. PepsiCo Stock Sees Heavy Call Option Buying
• Neutral Sentiment: A report listed short interest at zero shares and a zero-day days-to-cover ratio. Because the figures conflict with the description of a large increase in short interest, investors should treat the data as potentially anomalous rather than as a meaningful trading signal.
• Neutral Sentiment: Discontinuation of a Mountain Dew flavor is unlikely to materially affect PepsiCo’s financial results, but it illustrates the company’s ongoing need to manage its product portfolio. Mountain Dew Flavor Discontinued
• Negative Sentiment: PepsiCo reportedly cut its earnings outlook while Coca-Cola raised guidance, widening the perceived execution gap between the beverage rivals and weighing on confidence in PepsiCo’s near-term growth. PepsiCo Pays More, Coca-Cola Looks Stronger
• Negative Sentiment: A fire and explosion at a PepsiCo Quaker Oats facility could disrupt production and create repair, safety or supply-chain costs, although the financial impact is not yet clear. Fire and Explosion Strike Quaker Oats Plant
• Negative Sentiment: CEO insider selling worth approximately $4.05 million can pressure sentiment because investors may interpret it as reduced management exposure, even though insider sales can reflect personal financial planning. PepsiCo CEO Sells Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Commentary that PepsiCo is losing ground in the cola wars—including KFC’s reported switch to Coca-Cola—raises concerns about brand momentum and management focus in beverages. Analysts also lowered fiscal 2026 EPS estimates. PepsiCo’s Cola Wars and KFC Challenges Lowered PepsiCo EPS Estimates

About PepsiCo

PepsiCo, Inc (NASDAQ:PEP) is a global food and beverage company whose portfolio includes Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Gatorade, Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos, Quaker, Tostitos, Fritos, and SodaStream. Its products span carbonated soft drinks, sports and energy beverages, bottled water, juices, convenient foods, snacks, and other packaged food offerings.

The company sells products through retail stores, restaurants, food-service providers, e-commerce platforms, and other distribution channels. PepsiCo serves consumers in North America and international markets across Latin America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific.