Essential Partners LLC Trims Position in PepsiCo, Inc. $PEP

Posted by Francis Steltz on Jul 31st, 2026

Essential Partners LLC decreased its position in PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP – Free Report) by 42.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 7,998 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,857 shares during the quarter. Essential Partners LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $1,242,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in PEP. Cypress Capital Management LLC WY increased its stake in PepsiCo by 8.3% in the 4th quarter. Cypress Capital Management LLC WY now owns 838 shares of the company’s stock worth $121,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. United Bank grew its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. United Bank now owns 1,717 shares of the company’s stock valued at $246,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Onyx Bridge Wealth Group LLC increased its position in PepsiCo by 2.5% in the first quarter. Onyx Bridge Wealth Group LLC now owns 2,673 shares of the company’s stock worth $415,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC raised its stake in PepsiCo by 3.3% during the first quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC now owns 2,040 shares of the company’s stock valued at $317,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Richards Merrill & Peterson Inc. lifted its position in PepsiCo by 3.6% during the first quarter. Richards Merrill & Peterson Inc. now owns 1,938 shares of the company’s stock valued at $301,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

PepsiCo Trading Down 2.3%

Shares of NASDAQ PEP opened at $140.20 on Friday. PepsiCo, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $133.73 and a fifty-two week high of $171.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.91, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 0.93. The company has a market cap of $191.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.37, a PEG ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 0.36. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $141.49 and its 200-day moving average price is $151.08.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 9th. The company reported $2.20 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.19 by $0.01. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 54.63% and a net margin of 10.78%.The company had revenue of $24.18 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.95 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.92 EPS. PepsiCo’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. PepsiCo has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.550-8.710 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.57 earnings per share for the current year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 4th will be paid a $1.48 dividend. This represents a $5.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 4th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 77.59%.

PepsiCo News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

Positive Sentiment: International volume growth, product innovation and productivity initiatives are helping offset softer North American demand. PepsiCo’s broad global brand portfolio remains a key support for its outlook. PepsiCo Rides Global Volume Growth as North American Demand Slows
Positive Sentiment: The stock’s valuation and dividend remain appealing to income-focused investors. PepsiCo recently approved a quarterly dividend of $1.48 per share, equivalent to an annualized $5.92 and a yield above 4%. Its latest quarterly earnings and revenue also slightly exceeded expectations. PepsiCo’s Brand and Dividend Strategy
Neutral Sentiment: PepsiCo appointed Tanvi Swami as marketing director for Pepsi, 7UP and Mirinda, reinforcing its brand-building strategy but providing no immediate financial impact. PepsiCo’s Brand and Dividend Strategy
Neutral Sentiment: Executive Vice President David Flavell sold 2,900 shares valued at approximately $405,000. The sale reduced his holdings by 3.73%, but he continues to own a substantial position, limiting the signal from the transaction. SEC insider transaction filing
Negative Sentiment: Consumer-staples companies are facing increased consumer resistance to price increases, raising concerns about PepsiCo’s pricing power and profitability. Margin pressure, elevated leverage and weaker earnings estimates are additional headwinds. Consumer Staples Estimates Outlook
Negative Sentiment: A lawsuit alleging workplace harassment and retaliation presents a potential reputational risk, although no specific financial impact has been reported. PepsiCo Workplace Lawsuit Report

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on PEP. Citigroup downgraded shares of PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $170.00 to $145.00 in a report on Friday, July 10th. Evercore set a $150.00 price objective on PepsiCo in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on PepsiCo from $162.00 to $152.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 10th. UBS Group set a $159.00 target price on PepsiCo in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $155.00 price target on PepsiCo in a report on Friday, July 10th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $157.90.

View Our Latest Research Report on PEP

Insider Buying and Selling

In other PepsiCo news, EVP David Flavell sold 2,900 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.54, for a total value of $404,666.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 74,825 shares in the company, valued at $10,441,080.50. This represents a 3.73% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.12% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

PepsiCo Company Profile

(Free Report)

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.