Pepsico Delivers $73 Billion Gain

Core Insights - PepsiCo (PEP) has returned a total of $73 billion to its investors over the past decade through dividends and share repurchases, ranking as the 32nd highest capital return to shareholders in history [2][3] Capital Return Analysis - Dividends and share repurchases are direct returns of capital to shareholders, reflecting management's confidence in the company's financial health and ability to generate sustainable cash flows [3] - The total capital returned to shareholders as a percentage of current market cap appears inversely related to growth potential for reinvestments, with companies like Meta and Microsoft showing faster growth but lower capital returns [5] Financial Performance - PepsiCo's revenue growth is reported at 0.5% for the last twelve months (LTM) and an average of 3.4% over the last three years [10] - The company has a free cash flow margin of almost 7.3% and an operating margin of 13.2% LTM [10] - The stock is currently trading at a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 27.1 [10] Historical Risk - PepsiCo has experienced significant sell-offs in the past, including a drop of approximately 26% during the Dot-Com bubble, nearly 40% during the Global Financial Crisis, and around 18% during the recent inflationary period [8]