PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) Stock Has Average Target Price of $143.28 According to Brokerages

PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) has earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the twenty brokerages that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $143.28.

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $161.00 to $150.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. TD Cowen reduced their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $145.00 to $133.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, September 28th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Friday, October 9th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $159.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 2nd.

PepsiCo Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of PEP stock opened at $143.94 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $133.49 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $145.71. The company has a market cap of $196.15 billion, a PE ratio of 18.08, a P/E/G ratio of 4.27 and a beta of 0.31. PepsiCo has a fifty-two week low of $123.47 and a fifty-two week high of $171.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 0.94.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 7th. The company reported $2.34 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.29 by $0.05. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 53.08% and a net margin of 11.09%. The company had revenue of $25.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $24.95 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.29 EPS. PepsiCo’s revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that PepsiCo will post 8.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other PepsiCo news, CEO Ramon Laguarta sold 30,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.13, for a total transaction of $4,053,900.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 491,645 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $66,435,988.85. The trade was a 5.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Robert Pohlad bought 184,646 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 14th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $128.28 per share, for a total transaction of $23,686,388.88. Following the purchase, the director owned 433,009 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $55,546,394.52. The trade was a 74.35% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On PepsiCo

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in PepsiCo in the second quarter valued at about $2,755,509,000. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the second quarter valued at about $1,200,274,000. Corient Private Wealth LP bought a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the second quarter worth about $297,116,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the second quarter worth about $487,558,000. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 952.6% in the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 3,715,812 shares of the company’s stock valued at $503,121,000 after buying an additional 3,362,794 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about PepsiCo

Here are a few of the latest headlines about PEP:

• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo has increased its dividend annually for decades, a feature that may appeal to income-focused investors. Article: 1 Overlooked Dividend Stock With a 54-Year Winning Streak Worth Buying Now
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts remain moderately optimistic despite PEP’s underperformance versus the broader market over the past year, suggesting some confidence in its prospects but not a strong near-term catalyst. Article: PepsiCo Stock Outlook: Is Wall Street Bullish or Bearish?
• Negative Sentiment: PepsiCo plans to eliminate about 1,000 North American jobs as it streamlines operations amid sluggish sales, declining beverage volumes, and margin pressure. The cuts could reduce costs, but the demand weakness prompting them is a concern for investors, particularly as consumers shift toward healthier options. Article: PepsiCo Cuts 1,000 Jobs as North American Sales Struggle

About PepsiCo

PepsiCo, Inc. is a global food and beverage company that develops, manufactures, markets and distributes a broad range of products. Its portfolio includes snacks such as Lay’s, Doritos and Cheetos, as well as beverages including Pepsi, Gatorade and Mountain Dew. The company was formed in 1965 through the merger of Pepsi-Cola and Frito-Lay. Its products are sold in more than 200 countries and territories through retail, food-service and other distribution channels. PepsiCo is headquartered in Purchase, New York.