Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd Increases Stake in PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP

Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd lifted its stake in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 113,625.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,549 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,545 shares during the quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $653,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of PEP. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in shares of PepsiCo by 12.4% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 59,392 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,031,000 after purchasing an additional 6,574 shares during the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP purchased a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $251,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its position in shares of PepsiCo by 138.5% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 6,527 shares of the company’s stock valued at $862,000 after purchasing an additional 3,790 shares during the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. raised its position in shares of PepsiCo by 10.1% in the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 38,164 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,039,000 after purchasing an additional 3,502 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. raised its position in shares of PepsiCo by 45.5% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 536,133 shares of the company’s stock valued at $70,789,000 after purchasing an additional 167,707 shares during the last quarter. 73.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on PEP shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $165.00 to $163.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $190.00 to $186.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $154.00 to $158.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane raised their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $191.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, PepsiCo has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $167.35.

Key Headlines Impacting PepsiCo

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Unusual options activity showed traders buying far more call options than usual, suggesting some investors are positioning for a rebound in PepsiCo shares.
• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo continues to draw investor interest as a dividend and defensive large-cap stock, and one article highlighted the company among broader “best stocks to buy” lists.
• Neutral Sentiment: PepsiCo is expanding into newer growth areas, including its House of Treats beverage platform for entertainment and hospitality venues, and a regenerative farming partnership that could support longer-term brand and supply-chain strength.
• Neutral Sentiment: The stock advanced in the latest session but still lagged the broader market, reflecting a mixed near-term backdrop rather than a strong catalyst-driven move.
• Negative Sentiment: Piper Sandler cut its price target on PepsiCo, adding to concerns that growth is slowing and that near-term upside may be limited. PepsiCo (PEP) Price Target Lowered at Piper Sandler. Here is Why
• Negative Sentiment: TD Cowen also lowered its price target and kept a Hold rating, while cutting its second-quarter organic growth forecast below consensus, reinforcing worries about softer sales momentum. PepsiCo (PEP) Gets Mixed Wall Street Reviews as Growth Challenges Persist
• Negative Sentiment: Additional reports noted more analyst price-target reductions for PepsiCo, signaling that Wall Street expectations are moving lower ahead of the next results update. PepsiCo (PEP) Advances But Underperforms Market: Key Facts

PepsiCo Stock Performance

PEP opened at $146.25 on Tuesday. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 12-month low of $127.60 and a 12-month high of $171.48. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $199.89 billion, a PE ratio of 22.96, a P/E/G ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.35. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $150.90 and a two-hundred day moving average of $152.42.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 15th. The company reported $1.61 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.55 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $19.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.89 billion. PepsiCo had a net margin of 9.15% and a return on equity of 56.61%. The business’s revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.48 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.63 EPS for the current year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 5th will be paid a dividend of $1.48 per share. This represents a $5.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 5th. This is a positive change from PepsiCo’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.42. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is 92.94%.

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.