Cerity Partners LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP

Cerity Partners LLC boosted its position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 5.6% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 990,905 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 52,746 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $139,174,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in shares of PepsiCo by 12.4% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 59,392 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,031,000 after acquiring an additional 6,574 shares in the last quarter. Petrus Trust Company LTA purchased a new position in PepsiCo during the first quarter valued at approximately $272,000. Fred Alger Management LLC increased its holdings in PepsiCo by 323.9% during the 1st quarter. Fred Alger Management LLC now owns 44,561 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,681,000 after acquiring an additional 34,049 shares during the period. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in PepsiCo by 10.3% in the 1st quarter. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,378 shares of the company’s stock worth $656,000 after purchasing an additional 410 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caxton Associates LLP bought a new position in PepsiCo in the 1st quarter valued at $251,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on PepsiCo from $146.00 to $145.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Loop Capital set a $164.00 price objective on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of PepsiCo from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $151.00 to $164.00 in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on PepsiCo from $161.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $158.75.

Key Headlines Impacting PepsiCo

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo announced an industry-first industrial AI and digital-twin collaboration with Siemens and NVIDIA to scale AI-driven operations and predictive maintenance — a potential multi-year productivity and cost-savings catalyst that could improve margins and capex efficiency. PepsiCo Announces Industry-First AI and Digital Twin Collaboration with Siemens and NVIDIA
• Positive Sentiment: PBNA (beverages) segment showing organic growth driven by Pepsi Zero Sugar, Mountain Dew strength and expanding functional/energy and protein offerings — supports top-line resilience in a tough consumer backdrop. Are Functional Waters and Energy Drinks Reviving PepsiCo’s PBNA Unit?
• Positive Sentiment: New and limited-time beverage SKUs are being rolled out (positive for shelf buzz and short-term sell-through), which helps sustain beverage momentum and marketing-driven volumes. PepsiCo Has a Brand-New Soda Headed to Shelves—and Fans Say ‘It’s My New Favorite Flavor’
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually large call-option activity (buying of ~69k calls) signals bullish speculative interest or hedging ahead of catalysts — a short-term vote of confidence from some traders.
• Positive Sentiment: Featured as a top dividend/ income pick in recent lists — reinforces appeal to income-focused investors and can support downside during market volatility. Don’t Push for Growth in 2026, Push for Yield: The Case for 3 Top Dividend Stocks
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are focused on PepsiCo’s upcoming Q4 results and guidance; analysts expect a stronger bottom line (some forecasts call for double-digit EPS improvement), so the report is a near-term catalyst that could swing the stock. What You Need To Know Ahead of PepsiCo’s Earnings Release
• Negative Sentiment: Sector rotation: investors have been moving money into financials, weighing on consumer staples including PepsiCo and contributing to near-term selling pressure. Stock Of The Day: Is This The Bottom For Pepsi?
• Negative Sentiment: Recent session weakness and a modest slide in the stock while the broader market rose has created short-term momentum to the downside; traders may remain cautious until earnings and more clarity on margin benefits from AI investments. PepsiCo (PEP) Stock Slides as Market Rises: Facts to Know Before You Trade

PepsiCo Trading Down 0.7%

NASDAQ PEP opened at $138.96 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $190.01 billion, a PE ratio of 26.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.58 and a beta of 0.42. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 1-year low of $127.60 and a 1-year high of $160.15. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $145.89 and a 200-day moving average of $144.10. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 business had revenue of $23.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $23.91 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.31 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 6th. Investors 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 was Friday, December 5th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is currently 108.17%.

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.