PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) have been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the twenty brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $168.00.

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Citigroup lifted their target price on PepsiCo from $170.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. BNP Paribas Exane set a $191.00 target price on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $190.00 target price on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Argus raised shares of PepsiCo to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On PepsiCo

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Swiss RE Ltd. bought a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. JCIC Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in PepsiCo during the third quarter valued at about $27,000. MH & Associates Securities Management Corp ADV acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Imprint Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

Key PepsiCo News

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

PepsiCo Trading Up 1.3%

PepsiCo stock opened at $169.74 on Monday. PepsiCo has a 52 week low of $127.60 and a 52 week high of $171.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $231.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.29, a P/E/G ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $153.15 and a 200 day moving average price of $148.83.

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

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be paid a dividend of $1.4225 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $5.69 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 94.83%.

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

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.