Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Sells 212,620 Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP cut its stake in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 2.6% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 7,948,033 shares of the company’s stock after selling 212,620 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned approximately 0.58% of PepsiCo worth $1,116,211,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in PepsiCo by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 136,936,037 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,081,034,000 after purchasing an additional 1,761,785 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 1.6% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 58,419,849 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,713,757,000 after buying an additional 920,045 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 0.3% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 32,675,492 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,301,240,000 after acquiring an additional 86,695 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 9.7% in the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 29,031,404 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,833,406,000 after acquiring an additional 2,556,163 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in PepsiCo during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,330,594,000. Institutional investors own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on PEP shares. Argus raised PepsiCo to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Rothschild & Co Redburn upped their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $120.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $161.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $156.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $164.00 to $176.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $168.50.

Key Stories Impacting PepsiCo

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Launched product innovation — PepsiCo unveiled a protein‑packed Doritos SKU, which supports the company’s strategy to pursue higher‑value, better‑for‑you snacking and could help volume/mix over time. PepsiCo unveils protein-packed Doritos
• Positive Sentiment: Legal win on benefits issue — PepsiCo beat a would‑be class action over a health plan smoker fee, removing one near‑term legal overhang and avoiding potential payouts or liability. PepsiCo Beats Would-be Class Suit Over Health Plan’s Smoker Fee
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic/financial tailwinds highlighted — coverage and commentary (Zacks, and other outlets) continue to portray PEP as a strong growth stock based on diversification and brand strength; that supports longer‑term investor demand. Here’s Why PepsiCo (PEP) is a Strong Growth Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Capital allocation/price target update — RBC raised its price target to $165 but kept a “sector perform” rating, signaling limited near‑term upside even as some analysts tweak estimates. PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) Given New $165.00 Price Target at Royal Bank Of Canada
• Neutral Sentiment: Management moves — an internal marketing promotion (Rajat Paul elevated to marketing manager, global canisters & imports) is a routine corporate update that has limited direct stock impact but signals continuity in brand execution. PepsiCo elevates Rajat Paul to marketing manager- Global canisters & imports
• Negative Sentiment: New shareholder litigation/investigation — an investor alert says law firm Scott+Scott is investigating PepsiCo’s directors and officers for alleged breach of fiduciary duties, a development that raises governance risk and potential legal costs or distraction. PEPSICO, INC. INVESTOR ALERT: Scott+Scott Attorneys at Law LLP Investigates PepsiCo, Inc.’s Directors and Officers for Breach of Fiduciary Duties – PEP
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory/regime uncertainty fueling lawsuits — recent reporting on a shift in SEC enforcement policy has coincided with more investor lawsuits (PepsiCo named among targets), increasing regulatory uncertainty and the risk of additional shareholder actions. Analysis-Trump’s SEC gave companies more power over investors. Lawsuits pushed them back
• Negative Sentiment: Industry demand risk flagged — coverage of peers (MarketBeat on SJM) highlights investor concern around GLP‑1 weight‑loss drugs and potential structural pressure on indulgent snack volumes, a thematic risk that investors are watching for PepsiCo’s snacks franchise. SJM Surges 9%, But Hostess Weakness Clouds Outlook (PEP)

PepsiCo Trading Down 1.4%

PEP opened at $164.91 on Wednesday. PepsiCo, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $127.60 and a fifty-two week high of $171.48. The company has a market cap of $225.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $153.98 and a 200 day simple moving average of $149.07.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 2nd. The company reported $2.26 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.24 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $29.34 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.96 billion. PepsiCo had a net margin of 8.77% and a return on equity of 57.92%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.96 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be paid a $1.4225 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $5.69 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.5%. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is presently 94.83%.

PepsiCo declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, February 3rd that permits the company to buyback $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 4.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

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.