West Branch Capital LLC Has $402,000 Stake in PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP

West Branch Capital LLC reduced its position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 75.5% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 2,801 shares of the company’s stock after selling 8,637 shares during the quarter. West Branch Capital LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $402,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the second quarter valued at $27,000. JCIC Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the third quarter worth about $27,000. Imprint Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the third quarter worth about $31,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 667.7% in the 3rd 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 last quarter. Finally, Strategic Advocates LLC bought a new position in PepsiCo in the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Institutional investors own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting PepsiCo

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Recent product and marketing activity could support sales and brand engagement — PepsiCo launched a Tostitos brand refresh and updated packaging. PepsiCo Begins Tostitos Brand Refresh, Introduces Updated Packaging
• Positive Sentiment: New product excitement: the company rolled out a highly anticipated soda flavor that is generating consumer buzz — can help short-term retail lifts. PepsiCo Just Dropped a Highly Anticipated Soda Flavor—and Fans Are ‘Screaming’ With Excitement
• Positive Sentiment: Sports and venue deals expand distribution/brand exposure — Pepsi Football Nation and venue supplier agreements may drive consumption at live events. Is Pepsi Football Nation And New Venue Deals Reshaping the Investment Case For PepsiCo (PEP)?
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend reliability remains a support for investor demand — PEP is highlighted among consistent dividend payers, attracting income-oriented flows. 3 Consistent Dividend Payers Outperforming in 2026: VZ, PEP, MO
• Neutral Sentiment: Defensive sector rotation favors consumer staples: investors shifting to low-beta, dividend-rich names can push PEP higher as a defensive holding. As Recession Odds Climb, Defensive Sectors Continue to Outperform (PEP)
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings momentum + beat history supports expectations for another upside surprise — analysts point to PepsiCo’s strong surprise track record. Will PepsiCo (PEP) Beat Estimates Again in Its Next Earnings Report?
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional and media narratives about PepsiCo’s leadership and China market opportunity provide confidence but are unlikely to move the stock materially on their own. 12 Fortune 500 CEOs worked for Pepsi. Delta’s Ed Bastian explains why it’s a leadership factory
• Neutral Sentiment: Operational/ESG items: a UK solar investment and bottler dividend record dates are supportive for long-term strategy but limited near-term impact. Behind PepsiCo’s US$4.8m Investment in UK Solar PepsiCo bottler Varun Beverages final dividend: Record date announced
• Negative Sentiment: Deutsche Bank trimmed its PEP price target (from $176 to $169), citing mounting industry pressures—this is a cautionary note that may cap upside despite a retained Buy rating. Deutsche Bank Sees Mounting Industry Pressures, Trims PepsiCo (PEP) Target

PepsiCo Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ PEP opened at $157.01 on Friday. PepsiCo, Inc. has a twelve month low of $127.60 and a twelve month high of $171.48. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $159.66 and its 200-day moving average price is $150.40. The company has a market capitalization of $214.62 billion, a PE ratio of 26.17, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.85 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 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 return on equity of 57.92% and a net margin of 8.77%.PepsiCo’s revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.96 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

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

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th were given a dividend of $1.4225 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 6th. This represents a $5.69 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.6%. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 94.83%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

PEP has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. HSBC lifted their price target on PepsiCo from $152.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on PepsiCo from $163.00 to $164.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. BNP Paribas Exane set a $191.00 price target on PepsiCo in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Evercore increased their price target on PepsiCo from $152.00 to $165.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $156.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $169.00.

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.