Bahl & Gaynor Inc. Sells 95,055 Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP

Bahl & Gaynor Inc. cut its stake in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 6.6% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 1,350,835 shares of the company’s stock after selling 95,055 shares during the period. Bahl & Gaynor Inc.’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $189,711,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in PepsiCo during the second quarter worth $27,000. JCIC Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in PepsiCo during the third quarter worth about $27,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC grew its position in PepsiCo by 107.1% during the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 234 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 121 shares during the last quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 667.7% in the third quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC now owns 238 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 207 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new position in PepsiCo in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

PepsiCo Stock Up 1.3%

PepsiCo stock opened at $169.74 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 1-year low of $127.60 and a 1-year high of $171.48. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $153.15 and a 200 day simple moving average of $148.83. The company has a market cap of $231.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 0.39.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 2nd. The company reported $2.26 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.24 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $29.34 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $28.96 billion. PepsiCo had a net margin of 8.77% and a return on equity of 57.92%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.96 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared 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. This represents a $5.69 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 94.83%.

Key Stories Impacting PepsiCo

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo is launching its Poppi soda brand in the UK — its first rollout outside the U.S. — which broadens international growth avenues for a fast‑growing beverage SKU and leverages local bottler Carlsberg Britvic for production and distribution. poppi lands in the UK
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend narrative remains supportive: coverage pieces continue to highlight PepsiCo’s long dividend track record and yield profile, attracting income‑focused investors and providing a defensive valuation underpin. Dividend King coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Management/marketing moves and digital push — PepsiCo elevated Mira Medhat to a regional beverages marketing role and is leaning into social media influencers (TikTok) to drive brand buzz, indicating active investment in demand creation for beverage SKUs. Marketing director promotion
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor attention metrics: tools and sites (Zacks/other screens) show elevated interest in PEP — higher searches can increase short‑term liquidity and volatility but are not directional on fundamentals. Zacks investor interest
• Neutral Sentiment: Nearby competitor/asset news — Celsius Holdings reported strong results after acquiring Rockstar (previously part of PepsiCo). Celsius strength is an industry datapoint but doesn’t directly change PepsiCo’s core beverage economics. Celsius earnings and Rockstar note
• Negative Sentiment: PepsiCo will close a Frito‑Lay warehouse in Rancho Cucamonga, CA, laying off ~248 workers — a cost/supply‑chain action that reduces capacity and creates short‑term disruption and local PR/ESG scrutiny. Frito‑Lay warehouse closure
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest rose sharply in February (≈25% increase month‑over‑month) — a higher short base can amplify downside risk and volatility if negative news or earnings miss occurs. (Data reported in market summaries.)
• Negative Sentiment: Proxy/ESG issue: a shareholder action over animal welfare was halted after PepsiCo relented on a demand — the resolution removes litigation uncertainty but signals concession on an ESG matter, which may concern some investors. Animal welfare proxy suit halted

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on PEP. Piper Sandler increased their price target on PepsiCo from $161.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $148.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on PepsiCo from $170.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Argus raised shares of PepsiCo to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on PepsiCo from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $168.00.

PepsiCo 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.