Donaldson Capital Management LLC Trims Stake in PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP

Donaldson Capital Management LLC lessened its stake in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 90.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 20,311 shares of the company’s stock after selling 181,947 shares during the period. Donaldson Capital Management LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $2,915,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. JCIC Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in PepsiCo during the third quarter valued at $27,000. Imprint Wealth LLC purchased a new position in PepsiCo in the third quarter valued at $31,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC raised its position 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 worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 207 shares during the period. Finally, Strategic Advocates LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. 73.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on 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 price target on PepsiCo in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. HSBC boosted their price objective on PepsiCo from $152.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Wall Street Zen upgraded PepsiCo from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 7th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $190.00 price target on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, PepsiCo presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $169.00.

PepsiCo Price Performance

NASDAQ:PEP opened at $153.04 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $158.89 and a two-hundred day moving average of $150.16. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 12 month low of $127.60 and a 12 month high of $171.48. The firm has a market cap of $209.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.39. 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 (NASDAQ:PEP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 2nd. The company reported $2.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $29.34 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.96 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.96 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be issued 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 3.7%. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is presently 94.83%.

Key PepsiCo News

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Market note showing shares climbing on the session — reflects investor appetite today amid other supportive news. PepsiCo (PEP) Increases Despite Market Slip: Here’s What You Need to Know
• Positive Sentiment: Management highlights heavy local sourcing (~95% in APAC) plus AI and hedging to control input-cost and geopolitical risks — this should support margins and supply resilience. PepsiCo Leans on Local Sourcing and AI to Navigate Cost Pressures
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage on the same theme: local sourcing and AI-driven cost management, reinforcing the narrative that PepsiCo is proactively protecting margins. PepsiCo Leans on Local Sourcing and AI to Navigate Cost Pressures
• Positive Sentiment: Product strategy shift into meat snacks to meet demand for cleaner ingredients — diversification into premium/snacking categories can boost revenue mix and margins if execution scales. PepsiCo pivots into meat snacks, as consumers now want ‘cleaner’ ingredients
• Positive Sentiment: New global marketing platform “Pepsi Football Nation” expands brand engagement and sponsorship reach — a potential tailwind for beverage/packaged-snack demand around sports. Pepsi Football Nation: a new global platform celebrates football culture
• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo sees opportunity from China’s new Five-Year Plan — management tone suggests growth focus in a key market, which investors may view as constructive for international revenue. PepsiCo chief sees potential of China’s new Five-Year Plan
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst consensus remains an average “Hold” — suggests no near-term re-rating from sell-side, so short-term moves may be driven more by company updates than upgrades. PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings preview ahead of results — analysts will be watching organic sales, margin trends and guidance; the preview keeps focus on upcoming catalysts rather than changing fundamentals today. PepsiCo Earnings Preview: What to Expect
• Negative Sentiment: Article flags PepsiCo among profitable companies with “questionable fundamentals” — a reminder some investors see valuation or structural concerns despite profitability; could pressure sentiment if echoed by analysts. 3 Profitable Stocks with Questionable Fundamentals

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.