PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) Stock Price Down 2.2% – Time to Sell?

PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) shares fell 2.2% during mid-day trading on Tuesday. The company traded as low as $137.09 and last traded at $137.27. 8,377,886 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 2% from the average session volume of 8,187,028 shares. The stock had previously closed at $140.42.

Key Headlines Impacting PepsiCo

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo’s shares had gained 15.1% over the past month. Strong international growth, a discounted valuation and productivity savings are supporting the investment case. Article: PepsiCo Jumps 15.1% in a Month as Investors Weigh What Comes Next
• Positive Sentiment: Snack affordability and pricing initiatives are reportedly helping lift volumes and consumer demand, offering a potential counterweight to cost and margin pressures. Article: Can PepsiCo’s Snack Pricing Strategy Drive Volume Growth?
• Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo India is partnering with GIZ and Bayer on climate-resilient maize farming. The initiative may support supply-chain resilience over time, though near-term financial impact is unclear. Article: GIZ, PepsiCo India, Bayer partner to advance climate-resilient maize farming
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are debating whether PEP’s valuation discount and international growth compensate for slower earnings growth and debt. This tug-of-war may limit the impact of the recent rally. Article: Is PepsiCo a Buy or a Wait as Value Clashes With Slower EPS Growth?
• Negative Sentiment: PepsiCo lowered its 2026 EPS growth outlook as North American margin pressures persist. This is the clearest near-term headwind, despite international growth and productivity savings. Article: PepsiCo Lowers 2026 EPS Outlook as North America Pressures Margins
• Negative Sentiment: India’s food regulator alleges PepsiCo and Monster’s “energy drink” labeling misled consumers; a court hearing could bring regulatory or reputational risk. Article: India says PepsiCo, Monster marketed with ‘energy drink’ label to dupe consumers

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on PEP. Freedom Broker raised shares of PepsiCo from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 10th. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Friday, October 9th. BNP Paribas Exane cut their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $161.00 to $157.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 9th. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on PepsiCo from $176.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on PepsiCo from $138.00 to $137.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $143.28.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $194.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.24 and a beta of 0.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 0.94. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $133.30 and its two-hundred day moving average is $145.78.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Evergreen Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Montgomery Financial Services LLC bought a new position in PepsiCo in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Next Level Wealth Planning LLC acquired a new stake in PepsiCo during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Atlatl Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in PepsiCo during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Osterweis Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in PepsiCo during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. 73.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

PepsiCo Company Profile

PepsiCo, Inc (NASDAQ:PEP) is a global food and beverage company whose portfolio includes Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Gatorade, Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos, Quaker, Tostitos, Fritos, and SodaStream. Its products span carbonated soft drinks, sports and energy beverages, bottled water, juices, convenient foods, snacks, and other packaged food offerings.

The company sells products through retail stores, restaurants, food-service providers, e-commerce platforms, and other distribution channels. PepsiCo serves consumers in North America and international markets across Latin America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific.