PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) Stock Overview – All You Need to Know About PepsiCo

About PepsiCo

History of the company ^[1,2,3,4,5]

PepsiCo was formed in 1965 through the merger of Pepsi-Cola and Frito-Lay, two major players in the soft drink and snack food industries, respectively. Since then, PepsiCo has become one of the largest and most recognizable corporations in the world, with a portfolio of popular brands that includes Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Quaker, and SodaStream – among others. 

The history of PepsiCo dates back to the late 19th century, when Caleb Bradham, a pharmacist from North Carolina, developed a new soft drink that he called “Brad’s Drink.” The drink was made with a blend of sugar, water, caramel, lemon oil, nutmeg, and other natural flavours. In 1898, Bradham renamed his drink “Pepsi-Cola” and began selling it in his drugstore. The brand quickly gained popularity and by 1903, Bradham had established the Pepsi-Cola Company. 

Throughout the early 20th century, Pepsi-Cola competed fiercely with its main rival, Coca-Cola, for dominance in the soft drink market. The company underwent several changes in ownership and management during this time and struggled with financial difficulties during the Great Depression. 

However, Pepsi-Cola rebounded in the 1940s under the leadership of Walter S. Mack Jr., who introduced innovative marketing campaigns and catchy radio jingles, and expanded the company’s distribution network.

Meanwhile, Frito-Lay was also making a name for itself in the snack food industry. The company was formed in 1961 through the merger of Frito Company and H.W. Lay & Company, two established snack food manufacturers. Frito-Lay’s flagship product was the Frito corn chip, which had been invented by Elmer Doolin in the 1930s. Over the years, Frito-Lay introduced other popular snack products, including Lay’s potato chips, Cheetos, and Ruffles.

In 1965, Pepsi-Cola and Frito-Lay merged to form PepsiCo, with Donald M. Kendall as the company’s first CEO. The merger created a powerful conglomerate with a diverse portfolio of brands that spanned the soft drink and snack food industries. Under Kendall’s leadership, PepsiCo expanded rapidly through a series of acquisitions and partnerships. In 1977, the company acquired Pizza Hut, and later added other restaurant chains such as Taco Bell and KFC to its portfolio. 

In the 1980s, PepsiCo faced a new challenge as consumers began to shift towards healthier food and beverage options. In response, the company introduced new products such as Diet Pepsi and low-fat snacks and expanded its presence in the bottled water and juice markets. In 1998, PepsiCo merged with Tropicana Products, a leading producer of orange juice and other fruit juices. 

Business segments

Today, PepsiCo is a global powerhouse with operations in over 200 countries and territories. The company’s brands are household names, and its products are sold in grocery stores, convenience stores, restaurants, and vending machines around the world.

PepsiCo’s main business segment is its food and beverage products lines. The company owns 23 brands in total, offering thousands of SKUs worldwide ^[6].

The company is headquartered in Purchase, New York, United States. Its total staff strength is estimated to be 315,000.

About the stock PEP

PEP trading information

• Primary exchange: NASDAQ
• Ticker: PEP
• Country: U.S. 
• Currency: USD
• Trading hours:
  • Main: 9.30am to 4pm ET, Mon to Fri
  • Pre-market: 4am to 9.30am
  • After-market: 4pm to 8pm 

When was PEP listed? 

Shortly after Pepsi-Cola merged with Frito-Lay to form PepsiCo, the company went public, listing on the NYSE in 1965. The stock price was USD 0.75 per share ^[7]. In Dec 2017, the stock switched from NYSE to the NASDAQ Global Select Market ^[8]. 

Stock splits

PEP has undergone five stock splits, occurring between 1967 to 1996 ^[9]. The total number of PEP shares outstanding is estimated to be 1.38 billion ^[10].

Dividends ^[11]

PEP is a dividend-paying stock, and dividends are paid out every quarter. In 2022, the company paid a total of USD 4.524 per share for the year, split over four dividend payments.

Latest developments investors should note 

PepsiCo sees double-digit revenue growth in first quarter of 2023

Q1 FY 2023 saw PepsiCo attaining solid revenue results. The company recorded net revenue growth of 10.2% over the same period last year to USD 17.85 billion. This brought earnings per share (EPS) to USD 1.40.

On the back of the strong showing for the quarter, PepsiCo has raised its guidance for the year. Said Chairman and CEO Ramon Laguta, “Given our strong start to the year, we

now expect our full-year 2023 organic revenue to increase 8 percent (previously 6 percent) and core constant currency EPS to increase 9 percent (previously 8 percent).”

For the quarter, the company declared total cash returns to shareholders of approximately USD 7.7 billion. This consisted of dividends of USD 6.7 billion, and share repurchases of USD 1.0 billion.

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