Barclays Issues Positive Forecast for PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) Stock Price

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) had its price objective hoisted by Barclays from $148.00 to $160.00 in a research note published on Wednesday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage currently has an equal weight rating on the stock.

A number of other brokerages have also issued reports on PEP. Exane BNP Paribas reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $154.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $150.00 to $152.00 in a research note on Friday, October 10th. DZ Bank upgraded PepsiCo from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $167.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded PepsiCo from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $151.00 to $164.00 in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, PepsiCo currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $165.28.

PepsiCo Stock Up 2.0%

PepsiCo stock opened at $166.18 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $227.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.70, a P/E/G ratio of 5.35 and a beta of 0.40. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $146.83 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $145.95. PepsiCo has a fifty-two week low of $127.60 and a fifty-two week high of $167.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.72.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.26 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.24 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $29.34 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $28.96 billion. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 57.92% and a net margin of 8.77%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.96 EPS. PepsiCo has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.550-8.710 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that PepsiCo will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current year.

PepsiCo announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Tuesday, February 3rd that permits the company to buyback $10.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 4.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 5th were paid a $1.4225 dividend. This represents a $5.69 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 5th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 108.17%.

Institutional Trading of PepsiCo

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Three Bridge Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of PepsiCo by 1.8% in the third quarter. Three Bridge Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,870 shares of the company’s stock worth $544,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Koa Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Koa Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,007 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,149,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the period. Facet Wealth Inc. lifted its position in shares of PepsiCo by 3.2% in the third quarter. Facet Wealth Inc. now owns 2,221 shares of the company’s stock valued at $312,000 after buying an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Hudock Inc. lifted its holdings in PepsiCo by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Hudock Inc. now owns 7,079 shares of the company’s stock valued at $994,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Delta Asset Management LLC TN lifted its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Delta Asset Management LLC TN now owns 11,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,545,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. 73.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key PepsiCo News

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat expectations and management reiterated FY‑2026 guidance — revenue and adjusted EPS topped estimates, driven by international soda strength and improving beverage momentum. This beat is the primary fundamental catalyst supporting the rally. PepsiCo tops quarterly revenue estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Board authorized a $10 billion share repurchase program (≈4.7% of shares outstanding), signaling management believes shares are undervalued and providing buyback-driven EPS support. RTT News on buyback
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend raised — board declared a quarterly dividend of $1.4225 per share, a 5% increase year-over-year, reinforcing income appeal for dividend investors. PepsiCo Declares Quarterly Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: Several sell‑side firms raised price targets (JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley, TD Cowen, Barclays among others), which can support momentum and attract allocation flows. Analyst price-target moves
• Neutral Sentiment: PepsiCo will cut suggested retail prices on major snacks (Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos) by as much as 15% to boost affordability and volume ahead of big consumption events — a deliberate trade of price for share/volume that could help demand but pressures near-term margins. After Years of Increases, PepsiCo Pledges to Cut Prices on Snacks
• Neutral Sentiment: Strategic initiatives (tests to integrate beverage/snack distribution, trimming SKUs ~20%, refocusing top brands) aim to lift margins and execution — positive long-term if executed, but results are still early. MarketBeat strategic summary
• Negative Sentiment: Bearish/critical takes argue the rally is multiple expansion rather than improving volumes — price-led growth in Q4 and the new price cuts raise execution risk and could compress margins; some analysts/voices label the setup risky for new buyers. Seeking Alpha — Strong Sell
• Negative Sentiment: Macro/structural headwinds to snack volumes (e.g., consumer affordability pressures, GLP‑1–related demand shifts cited by commentators) remain a watch item; management is banking on price cuts and product focus to recover volumes. Jim Cramer commentary

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.