Handelsbanken Fonder AB Cuts Position in PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP

Handelsbanken Fonder AB lowered its position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 3.4% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 536,352 shares of the company’s stock after selling 19,089 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $75,325,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

PepsiCo Stock Performance

Shares of PEP opened at $167.58 on Friday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $152.72 and its 200-day simple moving average is $148.65. The firm has a market cap of $229.02 billion, a PE ratio of 27.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 0.40. 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 0.85, 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 for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.24 by $0.02. PepsiCo had a net margin of 8.77% and a return on equity of 57.92%. The firm had revenue of $29.34 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $28.96 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.96 EPS. PepsiCo’s quarterly revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

PepsiCo declared that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Tuesday, February 3rd that authorizes the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 4.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a $1.4225 dividend. This represents a $5.69 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is 94.83%.

Key Headlines Impacting PepsiCo

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Poppi — PepsiCo’s soda brand Poppi launched in the UK, its first expansion outside the U.S., via production and distribution with bottling partner Carlsberg Britvic; that expands international growth avenues for a branded, better-for-you beverage which can help top-line and brand momentum. poppi lands in the UK
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend appeal — multiple dividend-focused outlets include PepsiCo on lists of yield/ dividend-growth stocks, reinforcing its status as a steady income play and potentially drawing buying from income-oriented investors. Got $10,000? Put It in These Dividend Stocks Now 2 Consumer Dividend Stocks to Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Marketing push — PepsiCo is using TikTok creators to boost social engagement for its brands, a low-cost tactic that can lift short-term awareness and support volume for targeted SKUs. PepsiCo turns to TikTok stars
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor attention and comparisons — Zacks and other outlets note elevated investor search/coverage of PEP and publish comparisons vs. Coca‑Cola on valuation and business mix; these pieces raise debate but don’t immediately change fundamentals. Investors Heavily Search PepsiCo PepsiCo vs. Coca‑Cola
• Neutral Sentiment: Digital/tech profile — a new enterprise technology report highlights PepsiCo’s digital initiatives and e‑commerce opportunities; useful for long-term strategy but not an immediate earnings driver. PepsiCo Enterprise Technology Analysis Report 2025
• Negative Sentiment: Rising short interest — short interest increased ~25.5% in February to roughly 29.7M shares (~2.2% of float), signaling growing bearish bets that can pressure the stock and amplify downside on weak days (short-interest ratio ~2.6 days). (Internal trading data)
• Negative Sentiment: Proxy suit and animal‑welfare dispute — a Bloomberg Law report says a proxy suit was halted after PepsiCo relented on an animal-welfare-related demand; halting the suit reduces legal uncertainty but the fact the company conceded could worry governance-focused investors. PepsiCo animal welfare proxy suit halted

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on PEP shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Friday, January 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $164.00 to $176.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $162.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Evercore upped their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $152.00 to $165.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane set a $191.00 target price on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $168.00.

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.